Halo: Noble Wolf
by CJ Timm
Summary: Noble Six comes alive as we meet the man behind the visor. Spartan B-312 is Mike Nantz, a man trying to live down a family legacy and his lone wolf reputation. Joining Noble Team he sees a chance for redemption but his interactions with them and Natalia Misriah, the headstrong, wealthy daughter of a UNSC munitions supplier are made more complicated when the Covenant attack Reach.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1 – Legacies**

**Chapter 1 **

**0530hrs, July 24, 2552, Pelican Dropship Golf-Three-India inbound to Planet Reach from UNSC Grafton**

With furrowed brows the armor-clad soldier thumbed the faded blue ribbon and looked at the tarnished gold medal that hung from it. He'd been reassigned to Noble Team on planet Reach as their Second-in-command. The thought of working with others was strange to the brooding Spartan super soldier. Ever since training he'd worked alone. Everyone told him how good he was yet there were so many black marks in his dossier from his previous assignments you could hardly find anything to read. Was that good? It all depended on how you defined it. Regardless, the Spartan was thinking of investing in the Sharpee Company.

The ride from Onyx had been quick and uneventful giving him too much time to reflect and ponder days past. Now he stood waiting to disembark, looking out a window at Reach. Still the same colorful ball spinning in space that he remembered with very mixed emotions. Some things didn't change which gave a measure of comfort. He'd changed, a lot, since he'd been here. It felt like a lifetime.

Hauling his gear into the Pelican in the frigate's landing bay the former Beta Company trooper was surprised when a slender soldier in red-accented EVA armor sat down across from him for the drop to the planet. The loadmaster hadn't paid any attention nor did the squad of UNSC Marines going along for the ride. He didn't know anyone else had been assigned to Noble besides him. The orders had said they were down one, needing a 2ic, nothing about another being added to the team but then Spartans didn't always get all the information either.

Lost in thought and the hum of the Pelican as it moved towards the planet once clearing the engine wash of the frigate the introverted Spartan didn't notice the armored female soldier staring at him. They'd come on together with a group of others heading for the surface but beyond a nod from a helmeted head there'd been no other acknowledgement.

"What are you looking at?" the curious woman asked the Spartan, trying to strike up a conversation.

"A reminder of the past," the stone-faced soldier responded hollowly, not looking up. "A legacy to live up to…a millstone," he added, barely above the whisper.

"A what?" the woman asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Snapping out of his reflections the Spartan answered hollowly, "It's a Congressional Medal of Honor, an award from Earth's past. It's a family heirloom and was won by a great grandfather of mine a long time ago for heroism in battle."

For the first time Mike Nantz, Mike B312 as he was now referred, looked at the woman who'd been asking him the questions. Though his full identity no longer existed Mike still remembered his full name and his heritage. He remembered his father and the last time they'd spoken, he remembered the family history. He remembered it all despite his attempts to forget. It was ironic that many of the kids he'd gone through training with at Camp Curahee on Onyx had little or no recollection of their pasts and desperately wanted to. He didn't, envying their ability to not remember. Fate was funny that way.

Sitting across from him on the drop ship was a woman in MJOLNIR Mark VB armor. She had blond hair with red streaks in it and piercing green eyes that bore into him. Attractive, gorgeous really in a predatory sort of way, something about the woman didn't sit right with Mike. Then it struck him. She hadn't been enhanced. She wasn't a Spartan.

Natalia has spotted the Spartan III while they were still in transit on the Grafton heading towards Reach. There was something about him, the way he walked and how he carried himself that caught her eye and caused it to linger. Sure, there were Marines on board and even ODST's but this was a Spartan III, making him special. Though she'd interacted with several in the past this one was different from the rest. She could tell by the glint in his eyes he was even more dangerous than the others and that was exciting to her. The man's short, sandy brown hair and solid features only added to the package. His grey eyes were like granite, but behind them she could detect a sadness masked in anger.

"Hey, what's your name?" Natalia asked.

"Mike B312," he replied without emotion.

_B31…oh man, this is the one. This is the Lone Wolf, _Natalia thought to herself, her breath growing shallower as her heart added what seemed to be another 50 beats per minute in a split second. _This guy's a legend. No wonder he has that air about him. I'm definitely going to get to know him_, she added, breath becoming shallow with excitement. This guy was dangerous. You could tell. It wasn't the long scar on his jaw line, it was the eyes. _This guy's a killer…and very exciting_, she thought.

"My name's Natalia Misriah, but my friends call me Tali," she gushed, face turning a bit red.

Rather than pick up on the obvious interest Natalia was showing, Mike looked her over not as a man does a woman but instead critically, like a drill instructor does a raw recruit. "Is that Misriah as in 'battle tested for your home' Misriah?"

"Yes, Spanner Misriah is my father," she responded stiffly, aware of the implications already of his tone.

"The owner of Misriah Armory, huh? So where'd you get your armor?" Mike asked, an accusatory edge to his voice. "You some sort of new ODST or something since you're no Spartan?"

"No, I was issued it," the woman replied a bit nervously. "I'm with Office of Naval Intelligence."

"What division?"

"Section One."

Mike snorted audibly and went back to his musings, signaling prematurely the end of their dialogue.

The conversation wasn't going well for Natalia. As the woman fumed she could see the condemnation in the decorated soldier's eyes. That made her mad. Mad at Mike, mad at her father, made at Admiral Parangovsky for allowing her on this mission, mad at herself for being embarrassed. It irritated the proud woman but in reality she couldn't fault him. Mike B-312 had seen a lot of combat. She'd seen a desk. The reality of what she was about to get herself into finally dawned. When the idea had been presented for her to get some field experience she jumped on it, feeling she could keep up with anyone, even the famed Spartans. But now, sitting in the dropship, seeing the look in this man's eyes, she could only imagine what the others would think of her. She looked closer at his armor array and noticed his rank, wincing instinctively.

Mike shook his head at the situation. Despite his attempts to go back to other thoughts he kept thinking about Natalia Misriah. Of course she had the armor. Connections. Yet again the idea that he was fighting for seemed to be corrupted. He'd endured the death of his whole family, the excruciating procedure to make him a Spartan. He'd served to the best of his abilities on missions that gave him nightmares and made him hate himself. He'd given everything to the cause. Yet this was what he was fighting for.

Eyes narrowing, Mike looked more closely at the woman's armor noticing the Lieutenant Commander badge she wore. So she outranked him too. Great. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. Sure, he was only twenty-two but he'd entered the Spartan program when he was nine. She was likely just out of school in the past couple of years. Politics. It made him want to puke. She didn't seem so attractive on closer inspection.

Mike sat sullenly while the Marines on the dropship outdid each other with stories of what they'd do with their shore leave on Reach. Natalia was alone with her thoughts. Used to being the center of attention this was a new feeling for the confident woman. Doubt crept in, not only about this assignment but about many things. She'd always succeeded at everything, always won. What if she didn't? The thought gave her a chill of fear.

Natalia's datapad chirped, breaking the dark thoughts starting to build. The inbound call came as a welcome distraction. She smiled affectionately when she saw who it was.

MacKenzie.

_Good old MacKenzie_, she thought to herself. _You could always count on him. Like a faithful dog._

MacKenzie Wainwright served as a senior executive at Misriah Armory. He was educated, ambitious, handsome and athletic. In other words MacKenzie was every woman's dream. Every woman except Natalia Misriah. He was crazy about her, wanted to marry her. He had her father's seal of approval, being a protégé of his. They'd been something of a couple for over a year. It was the 'something' that she struggled with. Something was lacking in the man which she'd still not been able to put her finger on so she'd kept him at arm's length. It wasn't ambition. He had lots of that being the youngest man at his level of management at the company. It wasn't pedigree. He came from a prominent business family on earth, had gone to all the right schools, was a member of the right groups. It wasn't looks. He had all those, the kind that made the girls in the executive support group swoon. No, it was something else. Was it passion? Drive? He had all those but just not the way Natalia would define it. She'd had this conversation with herself hundreds of times.

Natalia set the datapad to text-only communications rather than videofeed. She knew that would irritate MacKenzie but she didn't care. She wasn't in the mood to see him nor have Mike be privy to their conversation.

_Hello MacKenzie_ she typed. _You're up early_.

_Business never sleeps. Especially when its business pertaining to you_, he replied. _Let's go video. I want to see you__._

_Can't__,_ she lied, _I'm on a mission_.

_Where are you_? He asked.

_Can't tell you that either, it's classified__._

_Come on Tali, don't play with me. You're on your way to Reach._

_Of course he knew_, she thought to herself, a wave of irritation crashing over her. Of course he'd know because her father would put that power into his hands. Was that what was bothering her right now? Natalia, always in control but not in control. Powerful, driven but only because of others. Or more to the point, because of one- her father. The man had given her everything and yet something was missing. Twenty years old and she felt like she was two. More to the point, stealing a glance at Mike sitting stoically with his back ramrod straight against the dropship wall, she felt like a fraud, a poser. That made her angry too. Then there was MacKenzie who couldn't allow her one day without talking. She was beginning to feel like a highly prized pet. _Where'd the armor come from?_ She thought to herself. Mike B312's words haunted her. Where? The same place everything else had come from. Daddy. She let the cursor blink for a few moments as she let MacKenzie wait and her anger settle down.

_You still there Tali?_ The screen lit up with the question.

Good question, she thought to herself.

_Sorry Mac, I was interrupted_, Natalia typed. _What's up?_

_Not much. Same old same old. Was out to the club last night. Wasn't the same without you. Everyone had a stinger in your honor. Celeste said what you were doing was crazy but the others shut her down. She's just jealous. We're proud of you for serving on the frontline. Just don't get too close to it, okay?_

_No troubles_, she typed. _I'm with a good team and I can handle myself. _Some frontline- A short-term posting to the safest planet in the galaxy on a mission to root our Insurrectionists with one of the top teams in all the UNSC. Yea, the frontline. She imagined the toasts that would have been drunk in her honor and it made her sick to the stomach.

Fraud. The condemning word screamed in her mind.

_True, Noble is the best, _MacKenzie agreed_. Well, your deployment won't be too long. Then we'll be together and we can continue our conversation from before you left._

Natalia snarled causing not only the Marines in the Pelican but also Mike to take a look. Of course he knew who she was serving with even if it was to be top secret. There were no secrets from Golf 51979. She couldn't believe her father had his own UNSC call sign. She also didn't want to continue the tired conversation about marriage. Everyone was pushing her to it. Time to push back.

_You better watch what your writing MacKenzie. This is an open channel and that's classified information. You wouldn't want to tarnish that perfect reputation_, she shot back, intending to wound.

It hit the mark. _Sorry, I'm just concerned about you and this is an encrypted channel. I don't leave things to chance._

_All right. Sorry too. I guess I'm just getting tense. Listen, we're about to land, I need to sign off._

_Okay. No problem. I don't want to fight with you Tali. Call me when you get a chance, okay? I love you._

_Thanks for understanding. Talk to you soon__._ Natalia let the message sit for a moment, wondering if she should add more. She knew what MacKenzie wanted to hear, deserved to hear really, but she couldn't do it. Hitting the send button Natalia immediately hit the 'end communications' key.

She winced as she shut down the datapad since she knew she'd hurt MacKenzie yet again. What was it with her? Why couldn't she give him what he wanted?

Her friends had had stingers in her honor at the club last night. How nice. Stinger. That was her nickname. She'd earned it for her speed in the boxing ring and ability to wear down an opponent with her jabs. She'd not had a knockout punch but would sting away, always coming out on top in the end. Get in fast, hit hard, get out, that had been her trademark. That had been the hallmark of her life too. A quick mind, fast-tracked through school then tops in her OCS class. Placed in a position of influence at ONI. No, she worked fast. She had a wasp tattooed on her shoulder, stinger out and ready to strike, as a symbol of it. A national champion in the boxing ring she'd also earned that nickname with the men in her life. Get in fast, hit hard, get out. She noticed Mike was looking at her though she couldn't read the expression on his impassive face. Natalia could feel her face reddening which made her angry anew. She was acting like a school girl. Was he judging her? Having pity on her? She didn't need that. Suddenly, he didn't seem so exciting after all.

Mike noticed the exchange though he'd tried not to. The attractive woman, he couldn't deny that truth, had cycled through a range of emotions during the course of her electronic conversation. He wondered who it had been with. Husband? Boyfriend? Likely, considering the emotion. He'd learned to read people quickly and be right. He needed that skill-set working alone as he did, needing to know who to trust and who to kill. Things weren't always as they appeared so he'd become good at drilling below the surface. There was definitely something about this woman that didn't add up. The equation was out of balance. She was confident to be sure, even cocky, but for a brief moment he saw a flash, like lightning in the sky of something. Vulnerability? Couldn't be. The eyes don't lie though. Something lay below the surface of this woman. He tried to clear his mind but it kept coming back to the enigma of Natalia Misriah until he found himself looking at her. She caught his gaze, reddened in the face, but held his look. Defiantly? Pleadingly?

He'd be glad when this assignment to Noble Team was done and he could go back to being a lone wolf. People were too complicated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**0730hrs, July 24, 2552, Buford Station, Alfold, Planet Reach**

A Falcon helicopter roared overhead then settled to land as the Warthog carrying Mike and Natalia ground to a stop at the small Army base.

The early morning trip from the Grafton had been uneventful. Landing in the military section of Manassas Spaceport the Marines had been met by a cigar chomping African American Sergeant that reminded Mike of Chief Mendez. A corporal ten greeted the pair at the drop site to take them on the bumpy ride in a Warthog to the base to meet the team. The friendly soldier chatted away with Mike who sat in the front seat while Natalia stayed silent in the back. Though he engaged in conversation the steady roar of the powerful Force Application Vehicle's 12-liter engine made it difficult which suited Mike just fine.

Unconsciously Mike reached up to the pocket in his armor that held the small case containing his family's medal. The story was burned in his mind having been repeated to him from his earliest age-how a Nantz family ancestor over 500 years ago had saved earth from an initial alien invasion, the first contact mankind had had with others from outside the galaxy. For his heroism he'd received the then United States' highest decoration. The technology they'd discovered from the defeated alien invaders had allowed them to make a giant leap in space travel technology eventually leading to the discovery of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine giving man the ability for slip-space travel. Man had then pushed out into space, exploring, colonizing, growing, settling places like Harvest, Reach and others never encountering the alien life that had found Earth so many years earlier.

Eventually that was left to the historians to remember and families like Mike's who carried a legacy to live up to. The children of the original Mike Nantz had served in the military as had their children, and their children and so on until Mike's father who had commanded a ship for the UNSC Navy until…. Mike didn't want to dwell on the past, especially not that past, he was already thinking ahead.

When Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, head of training for the Spartan III program, had pulled him from lone missions to put him into a team Mike had thought it to be a godsend but now he wasn't so sure. He was moving into a command position when always he'd worked alone. He thought back to his days leading a squad during the training of Beta Company and sadness filled him. Most all were dead, killed in Operation TORPEDO. He would have been too. He knew he should be grateful but he wasn't. All he could think of was that yet another family of his had been taken from him. And here he was, fighting Innies again. He wanted at the Covenant but orders were orders.

Natalia sat uncomfortably in the back of the Warthog, brooding. The idea to serve with a frontline unit had been an exciting one when it had been first proposed to her. The chance to see action, especially with a group of Spartans excited her in many ways. But now she wasn't so sure. This was different than being at ONI headquarters where her name and reputation not only opened doors for her but caused people to get out of the way. Mike Nantz, Mike-B312, the Lone Wolf, didn't seem impressed and suddenly she realized the others likely wouldn't be either. She felt her datapad buzz yet again and knew it was MacKenzie. That irritated her too. Couldn't the guy leave her alone for a few days? She was supposed to be a soldier on field assignment not some school girl on a field trip. MacKenzie didn't seem to get that. Without acknowledging any of his message requests she turned the communications device off and stowed it in her kit bag. It was time to start to do things a different way.

The armored transport finally pulled up to a small, plain outpost in a desolate, unpopulated region. This area was out of sight allowing for the comings and goings of the Joint Operations Special Warfare Group Three's highly secretive team to work.

Mike was happy to arrive at his destination and begin to do something other than hang out with Natalia Misriah. Ignoring the brooding woman he jumped out of the Hog and walked swiftly towards the command post where he'd find Noble Team.

Entering the dimly lit structure he could see the person he recognized from the briefing presentation as the leader of Noble Team, Commander Carter, at the back engrossed in a video conference. Moving deeper in he nodded to a bald headed Spartan loading rounds in a magazine for his SRS99 AM sniper rifle. Another team member was sharpening a Kukri knife, an unusual weapon of choice, but then Spartans all had their own unique character traits. Out of the corner of his eye Mike also saw to his surprise what he took for a Spartan II. His MJOLNIR IV armor had been heavily modified but he could tell the early version of a Spartan anywhere. With a II, and one carrying a M247H heavy machine gun, no wonder this was seen as such a potent team.

Mike's musings were interrupted just as he was about to report to the CO. A blue armored Spartan III stepped in his path, stopping him dead. His initial surge of anger was immediately replaced with shock.

"Catherine?" he asked in surprise, afraid to believe his eyes. It was. "Kat!" he exclaimed, spontaneously embracing the smirking Spartan.

"Hey Mike," she responded with an amused look but returned the embrace even more strongly.

"What? But how?" the confused man stammered. "I thought you were lost at Torpedo," he stated, stepping back to make sure it really was her.

"You think you were the only one pulled from the company before that op?" Kat answered, leaving her arm to rest on his shoulder.

"I…I didn't know," Mike whispered. "I thought all of you besides Tom and Lucy were gone."

"Yea, command does a pretty crappy job of keeping us informed," she responded, her voice becoming husky with emotion. Then a twinkle returned to her eye. "But I sure know what you've been up to."

Mike grunted then averted her steady gaze.

"You've been a busy boy," Kat deadpanned despite his discomfort. "Lone Wolf, huh?"

"Yea, sucks to be me," Mike responded darkly.

"Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about. You've done a damn good job," she responded. "I kind of like the name," Kat added, winking at him.

The way the woman had said it reminded Mike of how much he'd liked her accent in the past. It was good to hear it again. It was good to know she was still alive.

"Your arm…," Mike finally noticed the cybernetic prosthesis.

"This? Had it for a while. Got it on an op at Fumirole." Kat caught Mike's pained look. "Got nailed by a couple of Hingeheads. Covvies got it a lot worse though."

Mike chuckled at the irrepressible spirit of Kat, something he'd appreciated when they'd been together on Onyx. He'd missed that too.

"So I understand you're here to replace me as 2ic of Noble," the woman Spartan smirked.

"You?" Mike stammered in reply. "I thought I was taking the role of one of your team members who was killed."

"You are."

"So why am I replacing you in the ORBAT?" Mike asked in confusion.

"Beats me," she shrugged nonchalantly. "The word came down from ONI High Command with your joining orders."

"Kat, I...," Mike wasn't sure what to say.

"No big deal," Kat replied honestly. "It'll allow me to focus on comms and tech which I like to do anyway. I'm just glad you're here," she said to ease Mike's obvious discomfort then added, "Listen, we can catch up later, we've just had a mission come in. A satellite relay is down and command thinks it's the Innies. We need to get this show on the road. Commander," Kat called out to get their team leader's attention.

Commander Carter turned from his video briefing to acknowledge Kat's call.

Natalia felt even more out of place now then she had travelling to Reach with Mike. He and the female Spartan from Noble seemed to know each other. The way she looked at Mike irritated Natalia for some reason. The other Spartans seemed to be sizing her up as well. Suddenly, Natalia Misriah felt very small.

"So that's our new Number Six," the bulky Spartan II commented to the others. Ignoring Mike and not even acknowledging Natalia.

"Kat, you read his file?" the Spartan sharpening the kukri asked, picking up on the conversation.

"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink," Kat acknowledged. "But we go back to Bravo Company. He's okay."

Carter tried to tune out the conversation behind him so he could concentrate on the mission briefing. "Anyone claim responsibility, sir?"

The officer on the video screen replied, "ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Five months ago they pulled a similar job on Harmony. They hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online Noble One."

"Sir," Carter confirmed the order. "Consider it done."

"Then I'll see you on the other side," the officer who appeared to be an Army colonel declared. "Holland out."

"Lieutenant," Carter called out.

"Commander, sir," Mike confirmed, stepping forward.

I'm Carter, Noble Teams leader," the Spartan formally introduced himself. That taken care of he brought the group together for introductions. "All right people, gather up," the leader of Noble Team signaled for all to join him.

The others came together in a semi-circle. Mike and Natalia stayed off to the side, one knowing he needed to be invited in, the other unsure of why she was there.

"This is Mike, B-312. He'll be our new Second-in-command and take the Noble Six slot," Carter informed the group.

"A-whooo!" Emile let out a mocking wolf howl.

"Stow it," Carter ordered.

"What's up with that Commander?" Noble Three, Jun asked quietly. "Why is Kat being replaced?"

"The order came down from the head of ONI Section Three and you know they don't send explanations," Noble's leader answered, his face showing him to be less than happy with the order. "Listen, he has the credentials and the experience. So you're just going to have to suck it up and get used to it."

The team members turned to look at Kat while Mike held his breath. This was a critical moment for his acceptance with Noble Team.

"No big deal," she answered the unasked question with a shrug. "Now I don't have to wipe your noses anymore and I can concentrate on what I like to do, other than kill Covvies that is."

While the others laughed Mike let his breath out. He owed Kat big.

Commander Carter allowed the banter to play out a bit longer so Noble could get used to the change, then he looked over awkwardly to Natalia for the other. "This is Lt. Commander Misriah…"

Emile snorted, interrupting Carter, but didn't say anything. The leader of Noble Team glared at the unruly Spartan.

"The Lt. Commander comes from ONI Section One and will be joining us on this deployment as an adjunct operator."

"Adjunct, sir?" Jun, asked in confusion.

"Means we're babysitting her," Emile answered.

"She's here in an Operator capacity and will provide liaison support if necessary to the team. She'll have the designation Noble Seven."

"No way, sir! No way," Kat interjected. "This is bogus. We don't take this chick with us. That's not how we operate," she spat out angrily.

"We have no choice Kat," Carter responded wearily since he'd already had that argument with command. "The orders come right from HIGHCOM Bravo-6."

"I'm not looking after some spoiled little rich girl looking for thrills," Kat spat out. "She's going to get someone killed."

"Give her to the new guy to babysit," Emile interjected. "It can be his first command with Noble. Think of it as a team of two. That should be a good start for the Lone Wolf."

Mike winced, but could sympathize with the outspoken Spartan.

"Listen, I know you don't like this," Carter empathized with the team. "But we're only going after Innies here. The Insurrectionists have been active and command wants us to root them out. It's an easy mission. We do it, she gets her data and then she moves on."

The others groaned but knew there was little arguing would do.

Turning to Natalia, Carter then waved her into the group. "So, let's welcome Ms. Misriah to the team."

Natalia winced at the exchange and wanted to crawl under a rock. Used to being sought after, not rejected, she didn't know what to do so stood there pretending she hadn't heard the exchange. This idea was getting worse and worse by the minute.

"All right. Now that introductions are done, let's get at it."

The team left the headquarters and headed to the Falcons. Carter and Mike walked out together just behind the rest with Natalia trailing the pair. "You're riding with me Noble Six," the commander told him. As he put on his helmet he got to the point. "I'm not going to lie to you Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather see unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength."

The pair jumped nimbly up into the helicopter while Natalia had to boost herself awkwardly up. Neither Mike nor Carter said anything but each noted the lack of familiarity with the ship.

"Just one thing," Carter said to Mike, showing he had more important things then Natalia's awkwardness in mind. "I've seen your file. Even the parts ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind," Carter emphasized. "Clear?"

"Got it sir," Mike replied. "I'm just here to do my job."

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. Welcome to Reach."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**0830hrs, July 24, 2552, Visegrad Region, Planet Reach**

The two UH-144 Falcons danced on the early morning thermals through the mountainous region of Reach. The trip from the base to check out the downed communications relay had been pleasant for the team. The scenery was ruggedly beautiful and the team's comm channel had been filled with the banter of soldiers who knew their job. Only Mike and Natalia refrained from joining in. Neither felt like they were part of the group but each for their own reasons.

Still in the mountains they could see the region of Visegrad open before them. Neatly plowed farmer's fields dotted the still rugged terrain as they moved into the agricultural area. Though a distance from the large interplanetary communications relay they could still be seen rising above the terrain. Instinctively each soldier sensed they were getting closer so the idle chatter died down until the team channel was clear.

Commander Carter was again impressed by the professionalism of his team. They'd been through a lot and he knew he could count on them when the chips were down. He took a moment to bask in the pride he felt. Looking around though his face clouded behind the reflective visor of his helmet. His new Six, Mike B-312 concerned him. The guy's rep was solid but he'd never been part of a team. Lone wolf. That was his nickname. The guy had a "hyper-lethal" rating. The rumors were he had almost as many kills as the legendary Master Chief. So the guy could fight, but could he serve?

The team leader was concerned about how B-312 and Emile would work together. Still, that was a lesser concern then the one he had for the addition of Lt. Comm. Natalia Misriah. Though she'd been given the designation 'Noble Seven' everyone knew this was only a six-person team. He could understand their shock and dismay at the addition. He'd only had a ninety minute head start with the call he'd gotten from Colonel Holland informing him of the addition to Noble Team. Why she was there was a mystery to him. Only one word could explain it-ONI. He snorted to himself in frustration. Some external agenda being forced on grunts yet again that they'd be expected to soldier through. Fortunately this seemed like it would be a straight-forward mission then he'd be rid of her. He figured Mike would work out to be a good Six and soon he'd be rid of Ms. Misriah. It would all work out in the end.

Looking at his datapad Carter saw they were approaching the outpost they needed to investigate. Time to button up. It was game time.

"Listen up, Noble Team," Carter called over the team channel to get them focused. "We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrád. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online."

"Just get me under the hood, Commander," Kat added confidently.

"Sir," Jorge cut in, "why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" He was originally from Reach so had mixed feelings about this mission.

Carter knew of Noble Five's reservations. "You get a chance; maybe you can ask them, Jorge."

The members of Noble Team began to shift about, adjusting their gear to its proper fit, prepping for their insertion.

"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ," Kat cut in, a surprised note in her voice.

"Backup channels?" Carter asked, irritated at the new development. Whoever had taken down the relay might be able to jam them. That or the mountains were playing havoc with the signal. That wasn't likely though.

"Searching...nada. Can't say what's jamming us," Kat confirmed.

"You heard her," Carter signaled the team. "Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip."

"I'm lonely already," Emile cut in sarcastically.

Carter stayed focused. There was something about this that didn't feel right. Suddenly this seemed way more complicated then dealing with Innies. "Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance," he warned the Falcon pilots.

"Yes, sir!" the pilot of Charlie One replied, voice tensing.

"Let's stay focused," Carter warned the team. "Watch your sectors."

The two Falcons split allowing them to have opposite approaches in order to cover more territory but also make for fewer targets. The Communications Relay Hub came into view but there was no movement on the ground or around the structure.

"There's the communications outpost," Jorge pointed out rhetorically. By now the whole team knew something wasn't right.

"Reading a distress beacon," Kat confirmed everyone's fears. At the same time everyone's Heads-Up-Display received a waypoint marked 'Distress Beacon – Investigate'.

"Could be the missing troopers," Carter called out. "Let's check it out." Looking around the commander of Noble Team found a good location for insertion. "Put us down on the bluff," he ordered the pilots. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky."

"Sir."

The Falcons circled around the outpost then moved towards the bluff. Green grass contrasted with the dark grey of the rising rock formations that dominated the area. Flaring before landing the helicopters rejoined then dropped down side by side allowing the Spartans to disembark. Hitting their thrusters the transports took off to hover several hundred meters above the outpost with Jun and Jorge providing overwatch. By that point the team was already several hundred meters away approaching the station.

"Alright, Noble Team, Spread out," Carter ordered. "Watch the approach. Misriah, you stay with Six."

There, it had been done. In the flow of the moment Commander Carter had shown where the new team members stood. Natalia was embarrassed. It was bad enough that Mike had been given the task of babysitting her but the woman's team ID hadn't been used either. She was a name, not a member.

Mike cursed under his breath. This was going to be tougher then he thought. Orders were orders. Though Natalia had been tagged on the 'Friend or Foe' indicator on his HUD he still swiveled his head to gauge her position and pace. There were some things the IFF didn't tell. The ONI officer was already lagging behind, moving tentatively through the rough, sloping terrain. Rather than take the lead like he wanted to do Mike fell back to shadow the woman already showing she was out of her element. The rest of the team moved steadily down the hillside they were traveling towards the relay station. Halfway down Emile held his hand up to signal a halt. The rest went into defensive postures as the Spartan climbed a rock to look down at the outpost from the peak.

With a seasoned eye he surveyed the quiet outpost, looking for an ambush. "Structure point 3-4," Emile radioed on the team's com channel, "looks clear from this angle."

He leapt down and moved in, shotgun at the ready. Carter and Kat fanned out approaching from different directions.

"Distress beacon's coming from just south of here, Commander," Kat confirmed, monitoring the signal and other open channels. "We're close."

"Roger that," Carter confirmed. "Eyes peeled. "

The three Spartans moved swiftly onto the position with Mike and Natalia following just behind. What appeared to be a Warthog burned beside the small building that acted as the housing for the communications relay. The smell of burning fuel and melting metal hung thick in the air despite the filters in the team's helmets. Other than the sound of the cracking fire no other sound could be heard. The building was searched while Mike and Natalia provided cover outside. Mike's instincts started to scream at him. He couldn't figure out why but something wasn't right. A sinking feeling was starting to grab at him he couldn't shake. He gripped his MA37 assault rifle a bit tighter.

Coming outside Emile began searching some of the debris outside the building. "Found the beacon," he confirmed, tossing it in one motion to Kat.

"Make out any ID?" Carter asked, coming over to take a look.

"Negative, but it's military," Kat confirmed, dropping the now useless object to the ground.

"So where are the troopers?" Jorge asked over the comms from his overwatch position in the Falcon circling overhead.

"Why are we not seeing explosives residue?" Kat ignored the question, wondering instead about the unusual signs of struggle obvious to the seasoned veteran.

Carter as well had been thinking the same thoughts. Things were not adding up. "Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?" he asked.

Jun looked at the sensors on the Falcon now wishing he was on the ground with his friends rather then up in the air circling overhead. "Hmm... Negative, sir."

"Plasma maybe," Emile mused.

"Can't be. Not on Reach," Jorge vigorously contradicted.

"There's a lot of blood on the ground," Emile declared.

There was. Multiple splatter spots with pools around yet no bodies. Weird.

Natalia could sense her heartbeat rising with anxiety. She could feel her breathing getting shallower too. The quiet of the base was eerily unsettling. She'd been through all sorts of training scenarios at the Academy, some even more realistic then this. But this was real, it was no simulation. That was real blood from real soldiers soaking up the ground. She looked over at Mike who stood unmoving. She wondered what he was thinking inside his visored helmet. _Likely not having trouble controlling his heart rate _she thought to herself. When Commander Carter had told her to stay with him she'd resented the implication she couldn't look after herself. Now, Natalia was glad she was being viewed as an extension of the seasoned warrior. The ONI officer would follow his lead and show these people what she was capable of.

"All right Noble," Carter signaled the rest, "looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on. There's some other structures not far from here," he tagged them as an objective on the team's HUD," let's go check them out. Charlie One and Two," he called to the Falcons,"we're going to hump it over to the settlement beyond the next rise. Noble Three, Noble Five, continue with overwatch until we get there. Call out if you see anything."

Two green acknowledgement lights winked receipt of the order and the team moved out. Emile took the point with Carter and Kat flanking. Mike motioned Natalia to his front and left so he could cover the rear. They moved swiftly through a defile towards the enclave passing several Moas along the way. The large, lizard-like flightless birds seemed spooked by something. The team moved in quickly. With nothing on their motion trackers there was a mixture of relief but apprehension.

Just below the rise Kat caught sight of something. "Smoke at the next structure, boss," she reported to the commander.

"Circle west and check it out," Carter ordered. He knew something was up and it was time to get serious. "Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence."

Safeties came off and Noble Team went weapons free. Moving the short distance towards the first structure through a series of rising rocks, the Spartans crested a small rise and moved to the left. Coming to a walkway leading to a deck Noble arrived at the first home in the community. Sitting on a cliff side the place had an impressive view of the valley below. It was likely pretty nice at sunset but no one was thinking of that at this point. The team came in, weapons tracking all around, looking for the missing soldiers or signs of hostiles. Still, there was nothing.

"Noble Six, move into the house," Carter ordered Mike. "Go in quiet. I'm right behind you."

Mike entered in low, hugging the wall to provide less of a target. MA37 leveled he went into the darkness of the unlit home. Natalia wasn't sure what to do since she'd been given no orders so followed Mike into the building. Carter came after her, ignoring the woman. Scanning quickly all around the place was clear. No one was home though there were signs it had been occupied recently.

"Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat-sigs in the structure ahead!" Jun reported from above over the team channel.

A marker popped up on the HUD so Carter hand-signaled Mike and Natalia to follow him to the location. Moving up a short flight of steps inside the structure they emerged onto the other side of the house just as one of the Falcons dropped Jorge off in the courtyard. The team fanned out moving cautiously towards the building where they were all picking up contacts. Though the IFF indicator showed neutral no one was taking any chances.

Halfway there a door opened and a middle aged man stepped out. Noble Team dropped into a covering position as the man who was dressed like a farmer began to yell in a high state of agitation in a language that wasn't familiar. Inside it seemed there were other civilians huddling together.

"Move! On your knees, now!" Emile ordered, aiming his shotgun at the center of the man's chest.

The farmer raised his hands and took a step back continuing to yell in a language neither Mike nor Natalia could understand but it was clear he was scared and wanted to tell them something.

Jorge stepped between Emile and the scared civilian."They're not rebels, they're farmers. Look at them," the big Spartan II declared in agitation blocking his teammate.

"Ask him what they're doing here," Carter ordered, scanning the perimeter for any movement.

Jorge began to question the man in his native tongue. The familiarity caused the farmer to settle down and he began to tell the Spartan what had been going on as Jorge translated. They had a back-and-forth conversation in what by now the others had figured out to be Hungarian before the pair paused

"They're hiding, sir," Jorge reported as the man looked around nervously. "Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise."

The man seemed to figure out what the big man was saying so added some further commentary in his native tongue.

"He says something in the fields...killed his son," Jorge translated, fingers tightening on his heavy machine gun.

"Something?" Carter asked, picking up on the civilians fear.

"Commander, be advised," Jun cut in on the comms, "I'm reading heat signatures at the structure directly east from your position. Over."

"Copy that," Carter acknowledged. He gestured to Jorge, "Get them back inside."

Jorge spoke to the civilian urgently, gesturing to the man and the others to get inside and stay there.

From there the team sprinted east towards the building the indicator was showing. Crossing a walkway the team moved around another rock outcropping and moved higher to where the building in question had been marked. With the team spread out to cover Jorge and Mike prepare to enter the dark structure.

"We're moving in, Commander," Jorge reported when the pair was set. Getting a thumbs up from the team leader they burst in.

The sight was startling, even for seasoned combat veterans. Several human bodies were in the room including two wearing uniforms who were pinned to the wall. Blood lay pooled all about, while flies buzzed happily around the beaten and battered bodies.

"Damn...," was all Carter could say as he entered in. Moving to the Army troopers he knelt down to examine the bodies.

Natalia came in behind the officer, not knowing what she'd find. Coming onto the dead humans the sight of their grotesquely twisted bodies and death masks marring their faces startled the woman. Gagging involuntarily she swore to herself since she'd done it on an open channel.

"First time, ma'am?" Kat asked derisively walking past Natalia.

"No, of course not," Natalia lied. "My stomachs just acting up. Must have been something I ate."

Kat snorted but said nothing, kneeling down to inspect a set of avian-like footprints that could be seen in the blood.

"Fill me in, Commander," Jun called out over the comms, "what are you seeing? Over."

"We've got military casualties, two of the missing troopers," Carter confirmed, hunched over the bloody bodies. "Looks like they were interrogated...It's messy."

Noble Team's commander stood up and though his face was hidden by his helmet it was obvious from the Spartan's body language he was seething with anger. Without saying a word Carter signaled the team to keep moving. Pressing on the team entered an adjacent room with another dead body in it. Then from above the sound of scrabbling feet on the metal roof could be heard. A red blip appeared on the team's IFF tracker for a moment and then was lost.

"Movement," Carter called out. "Watch your motion trackers."

"What the hell was that?" Emile wondered as the other moved around, looking up and down for signs of the hostile.

"Jun, you see anything?" Carter asked his sniper in the Falcon.

"Negative," Jun reported in a frustrated voice. "Thermal's clean."

The team moved out of the building and into the open. Traveling in a defensive posture Natalia realized Mike had moved her into the center of the diamond formation they went in. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or angry. Her emotions were on overdrive and she could feel her heart beating in her throat. The temperature control in her armor had already kicked in to compensate for her elevated body heat. Though she wore the same type of armor as the Spartans of Noble Team, since she hadn't been genetically altered she didn't have the physical ability to manage it but the suit had been modified instead to work for her, courtesy of her father.

Mike had the right flank as the team moved towards another building. It was quiet outside; there was no movement of animal or bird. The sight of the mutilated soldiers especially had upset him. He'd seen that too many times on previous assignments, feeling helpless. Coming into a situation too late was something that still angered him. He could tell Carter felt the same way which began to build a bond with him and the other Spartan III. He kept an eye though on Natalia Misriah who moved to his left in the center of their formation. The woman was keeping pace but it seemed from the way she kept jerking her head back and forth that she really wasn't sure what she was doing_. Better be a fast learner_ he thought to himself because something was about to hit the fan. He could feel it. His instincts had kept him alive all these years and never lied to him.

Noble moved into the next building and began to sweep it from end to end. Thankfully there were no more bodies but the signs of a hasty departure were all over. Moving through light spilled in from their front indicating the likelihood of a large picture window.

"Boss, I see movement, outside your structure!" Jun urgently reported over the comms.

At the same time multiple red blips popped up on the team's IFFs.

"Noble Two, move up to the west," Carter ordered Kat immediately sensing danger. "We're about to be flanked."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**0944hrs, July 24, 2552, Visegrad Region, Planet Reach**

The IFF in Natalia's HUD began to splash red beyond their position indicating hostile targets. She could feel her heart racing but did the best she could to keep her breathing under control. Sliding over to the set of picture windows looking out to the plain outside the team fanned out to seek out their contacts. Several squat, waddling forms could be seen moving towards the structure along with a number of taller avian-like creatures with pronounced snouts in support. One of them looked up at the top floor of the building seeing Noble Team and began squawking in alarm. All this happened around the same time so the shock for both sides was genuine. Several of the team called out in surprise but all now knew what they faced: Covenant.

The impossible had happened, somehow the Covenant were on Reach. Regardless of how it happened, there wasn't time for reflection. Instead it was time for action.

"Contact, contact!" Commander Carter called out on the open channel, "Spartans, assist!"

Natalia wasn't sure if the call for Spartans to help was a pointed remark towards her. In the heat of the moment it was unlikely the leader of the unit would make that kind of comment. More likely it showed subconsciously how the woman was viewed which wasn't encouraging. It didn't matter. She could feel panic welling up like bile as she looked at the creatures she'd only seen in pictures and video before moving in for the attack.

Mike saw the familiar sight of Covenant Grunts running about in alarm at their discovery while a group of Skirmishers bolted towards the building, running into the basement level. His heart sank as he realized the implications of this discovery. Though it looked like a raiding party the Covenant always moved in force, never doing anything in half measure. More unsettling was how they were able to approach and land on Reach undetected. Who knew how many were already on the planet?

"Noble Team, prepare to repel. Engage hostiles, weapons free."

The individual musing of the new members of Noble Team was cut off by the call of Commander Carter. "They're heading into the basement. Move down to the lower levels!" he ordered.

The team found stairs and moved down quickly. Mike was to the right of Emile who sprinted the steps three at a time. The aggressive Spartan spotted a Skirmisher coming up to the stairs. Before the attacker could raise its weapon Emile's shotgun belched, blowing the alien onto its back. Mike spotted a pair coming out of the sun to the lower level. While their eyes adjusted Mike brought his MA37 up letting rip a long burst that cut the Skirmishers down. Efficiently the Spartans cleared the lower level of the building then prepared to move outside into the courtyard. Instead they were met by a wall of plasma fire coming from all directions. Several times Mike and Emile tried to press out but each time they encountered enough enemy fire to push them back. Grunts with plasma rifles and pistols kept up a steady fire while Jackals sniped at them from above.

Jorge arrived and added firepower from his M247H Heavy Machine Gun allowing Mike to switch to his M6G pistol. Squatting down to lower his silhouette to get a good shot it didn't really work for the 6' 9" armor clad Spartan. Still, they needed to knock the snipers out to get away from the bottle neck. Ignoring the hits he was taking, thumbing the 2x's scope he looked for the openings in the Jackal's shields and systematically knocked them out of their advantageous position with the pistol's armor-piercing, high-explosive rounds.

Losing their covering firepower the Grunts were forced to fall back giving Noble an opportunity. Without hesitating the Spartans moved out into the courtyard of the structure to engage the growing number of creatures rallying to the sound of battle.

Natalia had followed behind the team down the stairs unsure what to do. The woman was amazed at the reaction speed of the Spartans. Before she could see the basement already the sound of battle filled the air and seemed to be moving outside. Her IFF filled up with swirling contacts and the moving friendly tags of Noble Team. Not wanting to be left behind and also to prove she belonged with them, the aggressive woman put on a burst of speed to catch up. Sprinting outside her helmet visor adjusted to the bright sunshine as her eyes did the same thing. Already Noble Team had cleared the farm's courtyard and had moved efficiently across a footbridge in an attempt to secure the farm structure from Covenant reinforcements that had just been dropped beyond the horizon.

Already the battle was hot with armored slugs buzzing like angry bees and plasmas bolts and Needler rounds flying like fireworks. The fight was fluid with Spartans and Covenant flitting around, looking for any advantage.

Natalia had trouble processing the action and looking for a place to help out. Unsure what to do, she ended up stopping dead in her tracks in the open. Coming from behind several tall, rolled hay bales two Grunts who'd been hiding waddled out. They saw Natalia at the same time she spotted them, each recognizing the threat. She raised her assault rifle to fire. Jerking the trigger nothing happened. Looking down at the inoperative weapon she realized she still had the safety on. That momentary pause allowed the Grunts to recover and both fired their plasma pistols at her. Caught off guard the energy bolts hit her square on. If she hadn't been wearing MJOLINIR Armor she'd have been dead. Still, the plasma drained her shield and an alarm claxon went off in her ears signaling her shield was drained. Unsure what to do she panicked and ran from the Grunts who also ran away from her. The scene may have been comedic if not for the carnage all around.

A Jackal approached from the left so with the safety now off Natalia let loose a burst from her MA5B assault rifle but the rounds bounced harmlessly off the bird-like creature's energy shield. It returned fire with its Needler, the crystalline projectiles scoring several hits and draining her energy shield until the warning again sounded in her ears. While the scavenger fired at her Jorge swept the field with his machine gun cutting down Natalia's attacker as she fell back. Backing away to allow her shield to recharge she moved behind a tall rock that rose into the air like a spire and right into the path of a burnished armor Elite carrying an Energy Sword.

Though Mike was disturbed to find the Covenant on Reach in some ways he was happy he didn't have to fight human insurgents again. Now he could focus on his true enemy. He'd charged with Emile down the stairs and cleared the lower level. Now out in the open the seasoned Spartan had been systematically dealing with targets as they appeared. It appeared as if the group of Covenant was only an advance party so Noble Team was quickly dealing with the haphazard attack laid onto the farming complex.

Then he saw Natalia.

The ONI officer had stumbled into a group of Grunts then been hit by a number of Needler rounds. It was obvious to his trained eye that the woman was out of her element. He knew her armor would keep her safe until they could finish this skirmish and then sort the head-strong woman out. But then the Elite began to make a move towards her, seeming to sense an easy kill. Mike had no shot so disengaged from a pair of Skirmishers and sprinted to help the reeling woman. Though extremely frustrated with the development he was also doing something about it rather than let Natalia die. The introspective man wondered why that was. He'd seen death before, several lifetimes' worth. He had no connection with the woman yet he went to aid her even though part of him thought she deserved to die for forcing herself into this fight. Curious. The thought would have to wait since if he didn't pick up the pace it would be too late and she'd be dead.

The Elite seemed to grin as its four mandibles spread apart. Triumphantly yelling something that Natalia couldn't understand, it raised a glowing energy sword to strike. Frozen in place the woman who'd always been able to work her way out of a situation shrank back, nothing able to help her. In that split second before the death stroke came she calmly realized she likely deserved this end. She had no right to be there in the first place, she thought, and was only there because of the influence of her father and her own pride. That stung, more likely than the sword would hurt. Natalia was sad she'd not be able to live long enough to do something about this revelation.

Roaring in victory the Elite swung with all its power so didn't see the rushing Spartan who slammed into the side of the taller Sangheili.

Mike had timed his rush perfectly. He caught the Elite unaware in mid-strike. Driving his shoulder into the armored creature's midsection he heard the wind rush out of the Elite's lungs. At the same time the Spartan snapped his head up to catch the Elite under the chin. The twin force was enough to stagger the bigger creature. Too close to use his weapons Mike instead swung the butt-end of his Assault Rifle around catching it on the side of the head. The Elite stumbled and fell to its knees, shield drained, dropping its sword. Mike battered away savagely at the head of the defenseless creature until it fell to the ground dead.

Natalia was sure she was dead then felt the exhilaration of relief when Mike Nantz came to her rescue. The savage fury she witnessed though watching the Spartan beat the bigger creature to death was not only startling but breathtaking. Hands blurring he swung again and again and again relentlessly pummeling the Elite until it move no more. He then turned to her and ripped off his helmet.

"You've got to keep up, Misriah!" Mike yelled at Natalia angrily. "We don't have time for you to learn on the job." Replacing his helmet and giving a nod to the chastised woman for emphasis he turned away and moved back to rejoin the team who were already pushing further out to engage more Covenant reinforcements that had dropped nearby from a Spirit dropship.

Natalia was left in Mike's wake, as the battle moved further away from her, with mixed feelings of relief, embarrassment, thankfulness and fear but also another, deeper emotion, she couldn't quite put her finger on welling out of her heart.

Noble Team pushed out from the farm to a small river fed from a picturesque waterfall where they formed a position to sweep the area clean of Covenant. Re-engaged, Natalia sprinted to catch up to the Spartans who were mopping up the mixed company of invaders. Face burning in shame the proud woman was determined to help where she could but found every time she moved to engage someone from Noble was already there. While they moved with precision she bounced around like a pinball trying to get involved. Then, just as quickly as it began, the skirmish was over.

"Stand down Noble, stand down," Carter ordered. "Contacts neutralized."

"Contacts?" Jorge exclaimed incredulously. "It's the damn _Covenant_!"

"Cheer up, big man: this whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone," Emile added, loading fresh rounds into his shotgun.

Noble's commander ignored the interchange. He had work to do. "Kat, we've got to warn Holland. I need you at that relay outpost now."

"Boss," Jun cut in from above in the Falcons that had chased off several Covenant aircraft, "I'm showing more activity to the east!"

"Copy that, Jun, we're on it. Six, you've got point," Carter ordered, assessing the situation.

Rather than wait, the team sprang into action with Mike in the lead. The Spartan felt odd having someone at his back. Charging across the creek they plowed into the Grunt screen trying to envelope them. The smaller, chattering creatures were yet again being used to run interference for their Elite masters. This time three Elite Ultras were in the mix causing a difficult dilemma for Noble team. One on their own was dangerous enough but three with support would be a challenge. With Emile on his left and Jorge on the right Mike went right up the middle. Coming into contact he lobbed a fragmentation grenade to shake things up. The blast that followed had the desired effect. Several of the Grunts Methane breathing tanks exploded causing added chaos in their ranks. The skittish creatures scattered in panic waving their arms in the air. Mike encouraged their retreat with steady fire from his assault rifle. The action allowed the two other members of Noble in the lead to engage the Elites without having to worry about their covering screen. Emile pumped several shotgun rounds into the armored Covenant warrior who was trying to angle in. Each slug drained more of the Elite's shield until it went down. The Sangheili tried to withdraw but Emile wouldn't allow him, charging afterwards and pumping more rounds in finally putting him down. On the other side Jorge opened up with his heavy machine gun. Before he'd run through half a belt the Elite lay face down in a smoldering mess of its own entrails.

The third Elite had fallen back to rally the skittish Grunts so they came charging back in earnest, seeking to sweep over the three exposed members of Noble Team. Mike caught the move out of his peripheral vision so moved fluidly to intercept. Shifting left he moved through an animal pen that gave him some cover allowing him to flank the enemy. Bursting out Mike sprayed automatic fire knocking down three Grunts who'd come out from a roll of straw. His flank clear the Spartan then switched focus to the Elite who had to check his progress due to the armor piercing rounds pinging on its shield. The Sangheili warrior was satisfied his overshield would hold but he'd fallen for Mike's ruse. The assault rifle fire had been a distraction for the fragmentation grenade that landed at its feet. With a roar the warrior tried to move but was too late. The grenade exploded, shredding one Grunt but more importantly draining the Elite's shield. Mike followed up with pouring half a clip from his MA37 into the surprised creature. With the three leaders down the remaining Grunts scattered but were quickly dispatched by Kat and Carter.

Again, things got quiet. Natalia caught up to the group that had again moved quicker then she'd expected. The woman had tried to rely on the tactics she'd learned at the Academy but the quick assault laid on by Noble Team had been unexpected. She'd moved one bound, like the data text had taught and waited for them to consolidate. They hadn't, instead aggressively pushing forward and leaving her trying to cover a flank position that no longer existed. The radio chatter hadn't helped as the team called out to each other in a frenzied symphony she couldn't figure out. By the time she'd caught up with the others they were standing together, helmets off, assessing the situation. Jogging up she left her helmet on to hide the sheepish look on her face.

"Stop for some sightseeing, ma'am?" Kat asked her sarcastically.

"I…I got caught out of position," Natalia stammered in reply. She saw Emile roll his eyes while Kat sneered at her. Mike's face was granite, unable to be read.

"I think that happened when you left the Grafton," Kat replied mockingly as Emile howled with laughter.

"Stow it Two," Commander Carter ordered, "we don't have time for that crap." The officer stared hard at the smirking Kat until she looked away. "Okay, we've got a serious situation here. This is no probe, it's an invasion so we need to get in the game and find out what's going on. Three, you copy?"

"Here sir," Jun replied from the Falcon.

"Our comms are still down and we're blind here. We need to get back on line and bring command up to speed. What do you see?"

"Commander, I'm seeing more hostile activity to the North-East," Jun reported.

"Roger that," Carter acknowledged. Then ensuring he had the team's attention he ordered, "Emile, you're with Kat. Six, Jorge and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost." Seeing Natalia standing awkwardly off to the side he sighed to himself at the additional complication he had to deal with. "Lt. Commander," he said to her, "you may as well come with us."

"Noble Two, requesting air-lift, over," Kat called to the hovering pair of Falcons. Seeing Natalia following Commander Carter, Jorge and Mike to a flatbed truck they were heading towards she trotted over to the group. "Hey Mike," she called out, helmet off, "you take care. No more babysitting, okay? See you on the other side. I guess we'll have a wait a bit to catch up." She gave him a good-natured shoulder bump then glared icily at Natalia as she walked past.

"Get to work, Noble," Carter ordered and the group split to its assignments.

No one said anything but awkward silence hung like thick, dripping humidity. Natalia wanted to get on the Falcon and leave. She knew she didn't fit in, that this was a mistake, that she was in over her head, but she was also stubborn enough and determined enough to not give up. Okay, so she had no experience, she was out of her element and they were fighting the Covenant but she had abilities and was a fast learner. Something deep inside of her wanted to prove to Noble Team she belonged. It wasn't pride, or else she hoped it wasn't. No, rather, she wanted to contribute to something besides her own fortunes, perhaps for the first time in her life. She saw something in this group she desperately wanted to be part of. Then her gaze fell onto Noble Six. He hopped behind the wheel of the truck and fired it up as the other two got into position. If she wanted to be accepted by Noble Team she _desperately _wanted to be accepted by Mike Nantz, Mike-B312. The why wasn't as clear as with the others. She was still irritated by his rebuke from earlier when he'd helped her. No, he'd done more than that, he'd saved her life. Did she owe him? But that wasn't it either. Perhaps it was the look on his face when he looked at her-disappointment. She'd never disappointed _anyone_ before. It had always been the other way around. In a way it seemed that this enigmatic Spartan could see right through her, which both bothered and intrigued her. Regardless, she had to correct Mike's perception her of, she just HAD to.

"Come on Misriah mount up," Mike called testily from the truck, "we don't have all day."

Natalia realized she'd been standing there musing while the others waited for her to jump in. Yet more disappointment to overcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**0944hrs, July 24, 2552, Visegrad Region, Planet Reach**

The flatbed truck bounced about as Mike kept the pedal down trying to reach the outpost as quickly as possible. They'd encountered some scattered Covenant forces, mostly long snouted Skirmishers, but nothing of any consequence. The road through the farming territory was rough so going was slow plus they didn't want to walk into an ambush. Finally, to their front they could see the roofs of another farming enclave coming up.

Jun's voice cut in. "Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat sigs in the structure ahead."

At the same time as the transmission was coming in they could see a Covenant dropship taking off in the distance. Mike looked at Commander Carter, unsure if they should investigate or press on to their objective of the communication relay. Though the team leader didn't want to delay he also wasn't sure if there were any UNSC troops in the vicinity either. Making the decision he nodded to Mike to enter the enclave.

By the time the truck came barreling in the place was crawling with Covenant. Grinding to a halt the trio of Spartans bailed and began systematically eliminating the hostiles and clearing the small community. Again Natalia was left to herself and wasn't sure how to fit in. This time though instead of trying to mix it up like the more experienced Spartans she decided to stay back and defend the truck they'd arrived in thinking that might allow her to be of use. From her vantage point she could see Mike and the others moving quickly about as the Covenant tried desperately to stop them. Despite overwhelming odds the invaders of Reach really stood no chance which the woman had to admire. Jorge would plow through those that would bunch up to attempt to counter the Spartans while Carter and Mike moved around the flanks steadily dispatching the more aggressive Covenant.

Again it was a mixed party of Elites, Jackals and Grunts who held the position. This time Natalia seemed to pick right because as the three Spartans moved into one of the structures to clear it a group of gangly, reptilian Jackals saw an opportunity to fulfill their natural desire to scavenge. Seeing the truck unguarded three moved towards it with the goal of capturing it as booty. Tali felt a wave of panic overcome her but then taking a deep breath shifted to a better position. She let loose a burst from her MA5B that bounced off the energy shield of the scavengers but it did give them pause for thought. Hunkering behind the shields they returned fire with plasma rifles, the hiss and crack filling the air. Natalia was in good position behind the truck so was able to avoid the brunt of the fusillade though several rounds did connect draining her shield.

The three Jackals locked shields and began to move forward in unison. The woman held her ground despite every fiber of her body screaming to run. She wasn't going to be a disappointment again. She opened fire once more with her assault rifle burning through a whole clip.

Luck was with the woman since two of the slugs found their way into the small opening in the shield knocking one of the Jackals on its back with a round in the head. The other two paused allowing Natalia time to reload and open fire again. One of the Jackals was still assessing its dead comrade turning slightly and unconsciously opening itself up to the new barrage. It skipped back dead leaving just one. Unfortunately Natalia had misjudged her rate of fire and had run through another whole clip. She desperately tried to reload but the last Jackal saw the woman's dilemma so charged in for the kill happy it wouldn't have to share the prize with any of its comrades. Bonus for him.

Mike and Carter had moved systematically through one of the open structure buildings clearing it floor-by-floor. With Jorge providing covering fire they were able to move quickly knowing they were well supported. Mike was surprised how quickly he adapted to working with a partner in the tricky task of fighting-in-a-built-up-area. While all of Beta Company had done FIBUA as part of training it had been years ago and this was real time. Still, though it had been less than a couple of hours it already felt good to be part of a team.

The Covenant forces had not expected the humans so were unprepared for the attack on the first structure. By the time they made it to the second the invaders had been able to organize and put up a better fight. Still, with Jorge hammering away with his M247H heavy machine gun in advance it made little difference. Though progress slowed, already the Grunts were melting away into the terrain. There were no more Jackals to see and only the fiercely proud Elites stubbornly remained, unwilling to concede the structure. Without support though and with Carter and Mike working together the large humanoid, reptilian warriors had little chance. Noble Team held the advantage and the success they'd had at clearing the main floor bore testimony to it.

Mike had moved up the stairs to the top floor of the building when he happened to glance outside and caught the scene of Natalia's battle with the Jackals. He'd forgotten the woman was with them so his initial reaction was irritation. Then he realized she was defending their mode of transportation from the Jackals who looked to be trying to steal it. He saw the first two go down but knew the third one had caught her in a reload. Without thinking his hand went down to his leg holster and deftly pulled out the Magnum pistol. In one smooth motion he toggled the 2x's scope while bringing it up for a shot. The pistol barked twice and two rounds slammed into the back of the Kig-Yar's head. Mike surveyed the scene for a moment then satisfied continued the objective of clearing the structure.

Natalia had slapped the magazine into the assault rifle but in her haste the receiver jammed. The Jackal squawked in amusement at her dilemma moving in to finish her off. Then there were two quick cracks from the building behind the creature and it fell as its protruding head exploded. Natalia looked up and saw Mike on the second floor, pistol smoking from the shots. He looked at her for a moment then disappeared into the shadows of the structure. She was able to fix the jam and bring her weapon to bear but there were no more targets.

It took less than ten more minutes for the elements of Noble Team to clear the rest of the structure and secure the farming community. As it turned out there were no soldiers and no live civilians. They'd been too late for this community.

The 'all clear' went out over the comms and the Spartans reassembled by the truck they'd arrived in. Jorge arrived first, gave Natalia a nod then began stripping his heavy machine gun to give it a quick cleaning. Carter arrived next, ignored her and called over the comms to Kat to get a situation report. Mike arrived last having swept the perimeter of the outpost to ensure it was indeed clear. The Lone Wolf walked towards the group with his MA37 perched jauntily on his shoulder. Natalia braced herself for his rebuke knowing yet again he'd saved her from a situation of her own making. Yet again she had disappointed.

"Good idea guarding the truck Misriah," Mike declared instead. "We'd have been screwed if the Jackals had taken it." Then as an after though he added, "well done."

He hadn't mentioned her messing up the reload or his need to bail her out. The woman's heart soared at the compliment and she could feel her cheeks hurting from smiling so broadly.

Before the woman could reply Jun cut in on the team comms. "Noble Leader, I'm picking up a distress signal."

"Mayday! 3 Charlie Six, does anyone read? We were attacked by Covenant forces," a terrified male voice patched through yelled. "The Covenant is on Reach. I repeat: the Covenant is on Reach."

"The troopers?" Jorge asked, hopping into the back of the flatbed truck.

"I don't know. Maybe," Carter answered. Then, he ordered, "Let's move, Six. We've gotta find the source of that distress call."

"No disrespect, but don't we have more important things to do than round up strays?" Jun cut in over the comms.

"We don't leave people behind," Carter declared emphatically. "You see those troopers, you let me know."

"I have to agree with Noble Three, sir," Mike piped up. "We need to get to that relay, that's our priority. We don't have the time to run down strays."

"Strays?" Carter retorted incredulously. "These are UNSC soldiers under prepared and under fire. They sure as hell deserve more respect than that. I know you're used to working alone but that's not how I operate. Besides, if I was in a situation like that I'd want to think someone would come and help me and not leave me to the wolves. You clear on that lieutenant?"

"Yes sir," Mike responded coldly, stung by the rebuke and choice of the commander's words

Jun paused for a moment allowing the tension of the moment that had been broadcast on an open channel to die before reporting the results of his scan from the Falcon overhead. "Noble Leader, I'm seeing possible friendly forces under attack south of your position, over!" he reported urgently.

Another report came in through the open channel. "We're under attack, repeat, mayday, mayday, 3 Charlie Six, we're under attack by the Covenant, I've got wounded, cannot hold this position."

"We need to find those troopers now," Carter said through gritted teeth.

"Roger that," Mike responded, knowing the team leaders mind was set. He'd never considered going off mission, of doing something contrary to the stated objective. As he gunned the truck's engine and threw it into drive he thought though about Carter's declaration that they don't leave people behind. Would he? Would the 'Lone Wolf'? Probably. It was obvious from his initial reaction that Carter had countered so negatively. Yet wasn't that the thing about command and what had happened to both Alpha and Beta companies that still bothered him so much? His friends, his family, had been sent out to die.

Perhaps it was time for a new way of thinking and, more importantly, of acting.

Jun marked the location of the UNSC forces under attack on their HUDs so they were able to get their quickly. It was another small farming enclave, like the two previous they'd encountered, set up on the rocky outcrop of the hill they'd just travelled up. Another Covenant dropship was disgorging its troops. An unsteady stream of friendly fire came in response from the structure. They'd finally found someone they could help.

"Noble Three, we've located the trooper squad," Carter reported. "Request immediate evac. My coordinates."

"Solid copy, Commander. Recalling Falcon Charlie 2," Jun responded. "Hold that evac position."

Mike punched the accelerator to the floor of the flatbed truck causing it to lurch forward in a burst of speed. Jorge opened fire with his machine gun getting the attention of the Covenant troops pressing the beleaguered troops. Mike slammed on the brakes and Noble Team bailed out systematically eliminating the Covenant threat. Natalia hopped out doing her best to keep up with the Spartans. Mike had driven them right into the center of a swarm of Grunts and Jackals so plasma bolts and Needler rounds zipped all around like colorful fireworks. The woman's HUD was alive with contacts and she found she couldn't process the information fast enough. Her heart beat up into her throat so she found herself again randomly spraying fire in a haphazard form more often than not shooting an attacker one of the other members of Noble had already put down. It didn't take long for them to clear out the attackers creating a lull in the action.

It was only temporary.

"Noble Leader, be advised: I have visual on inbound Covenant dropships," Jun called over the coms urgently.

Carter could see them coming in and knew this was going to be more then then could handle. "Evac transport, keep your distance!" he called out to their relief, "Six, hold this position. Clear an LZ."

While Mike looked around at the surroundings quickly assessing the best strategy for holding the area a tired-looking UNSC Army soldier moved over towards the members of Noble team.

"Spartans?" The soldier declared in awed shock. "Corporal Travis, 3 Charlie, sir. It's the Covenant..."

"We know, corporal," Carter confirmed. Then, trying to sooth the frazzled trooper he firmly stated, "Let's get you out of here."

While Commander Carter organized the main defense Mike had plan for securing a landing zone for them. "Jorge, get up to the second level, you're overwatch. Sweep the field and clear a path for us." He had several fire teams from 3 Charlie so to them ordered, "We'll move in arrowhead formation. I'll take point, you follow in my wake. I want nice tight bounds. Maintain contact and no breaks in our line. If we let them get inside they'll roll us up. Got it?"

The soldiers nodded, confidence visibly growing in the company of the assertive Spartan.

Mike saw Natalia hanging around the periphery, unsure what to do. "Lt. Commander," he said to her, "you go and support the main body of 3 Charlie holding the fort. Find Corporal Travis and report to him." He waited for no reply, signaling his group to move out as skirmishing had already begun.

Natalia stood in place alone for a moment processing what had just happened. In one sentence Mike had just given her a direct order and told her to place herself under a corporal. It had already been a bad day and the proud woman's mood was increasingly turning foul. _How dare he order me around like that?_ she thought, _and what is he thinking putting me under an NCO? It's embarrassing. I won't do it._

Then the reality hit her like a haymaker connecting in the ring. What else could he have done? Was she going to give orders? Did she have a clue what to do? She may have rank and privilege but he had experience and leadership. She could see it in the confidence the soldiers had in his presence. He was someone to look up to, to feel safe with. She was a joke. Despite her embarrassment and anger at being told what to do a stronger emotion grew within, the realization of just how much she didn't belong. Mike was helping her and he was allowing her to participate in a way he felt she was qualified. The hardest part for Natalia Misriah to stomach, who had always been ahead of the curve, was he was right.

Obediently she trotted over to the area where the main group of the 3 Charlie soldiers had set up to defend the structure. It didn't take long to find Corporal Travis, who was busy directing the fire of his troops. The NCO saw her come over and seeing her rank insignia and knowing who she came in with gave her a quizzical look.

"Yes ma'am," Travis asked, "what can I do for you?"

Despite her embarrassment at the situation Natalia humbled herself. "I'm here to help. Where do you want me?"

The corporal seemed genuinely glad to see her. Natalia realized the man didn't know her limitations. "That's great, we could use the support. How about you provide fire coverage to our right flank," he pointed to a spot.

"Will do corporal," she replied obediently, and then moved to a position where she could actually do something helpful.

With the combined firepower of Noble Team and 3 Charlie the UNSC forces were able to prevail without any major difficulty despite the size of the Covenant attacking force. Mike's team efficiently cut through their opposition to take the LZ they needed while Carter, Cpl. Travis' main body of 3 Charlie and Natalia were able to clear out the rest. It was definitely a confidence booster for those who were looking for it.

Commander Carter assessed the situation and confident they had eliminated all opposition knew it was time to get back onto their own mission. "Transport, LZ is clear. Move in for evac," he confirmed.

"Affirmative. Transport inbound," Jun answered from above.

"Okay, you're in the clear, corporal," Carter declared to Travis, "good luck to you."

"Thank you sir," Corporal Travis replied. "We wouldn't have made it if you didn't show up. You guys are the best. I appreciate you saving our bacon." He threw up a salute as Pelicans began their landing. Though saluting was frowned upon in a combat zone the breach of protocol was understandable. "Can we win?" Travis asked hopefully, almost as an afterthought.

Carter paused for a moment. "Sure we can. The orbital MACs will cover us until the fleet can get here. You stay focused and fight hard. We have lots of troops on the ground. The Covvies have bit off more than they can chew this time."

"All right. I owe you guys a beer when this is all over."

Mike heard the exchange and wondered if the Commander's optimism was real or put on to calm the shaky soldier. Had they saved these guys or just prolonged the inevitable? This interaction with others was way more complicated then working alone.

The Pelicans landed and the troopers from 3 Charlie began to load up. Noble team's Falcon set down also but they didn't move, raising Mike's anxiety.

"We're going to cover the evac and make sure they get away clean. There could be some stray Covvies around," Carter declared. "Six, you cover south, Five you take north. Once they're clear we'll carry on," he stated firmly, looking at Mike.

Natalia watched the interchange and noted yet again she was left out of the mix. Corporal Travis had politely thanked her for her help but hadn't lavished any praise on her like he did the Spartans. But then why would he? The best she could say of that encounter was she hadn't been a liability. Something had to change. She needed to do something to contribute.

Then she saw Mike standing off alone in the distance, scanning the approach to the enclave. Taking a deep breath, Natalia walked over to where he stood.

Mike heard the footsteps from behind and knew it was Natalia coming up from his IFF indicator. _Great_, he thought to himself, _bad enough I get chewed out by Carter now I got to listen to her. Probably want to brag on her war stories from the last fight. This team thing sucks. I can get more done on my own. I need to talk to Ackerson and get pulled from this assignment._

Natalia pulled up and suddenly hesitated. The Spartan said nothing, just watched her as she pulled off her helmet. "Mike, I…,"

"What's up ma'am?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? You have the rank and the privilege."

"We both know I don't deserve it…," she hung her head in shame, "and don't deserve to be here."

The statement caught the lone wolf Spartan off guard but the look in her expressive eyes said even more. There was remorse, regret welling from deep within. This was a genuine declaration, not some ONI trick.

"That's true," Mike acknowledged, now simply wondering where she was going.

"I want you to help me to fight better so I can fit in," she blurted out not able to look at the man.

"What?" Mike replied in genuine shock. He hadn't expected such a request from the proud woman.

"I want to learn how to be useful, to make a difference," she confirmed, "like you do." Her eyes rose meeting his, in them was admiration.

Mike wasn't sure what to do. He hesitated, part of him screamed to let her flounder, it wasn't up to him to bail her out, especially one of privilege who had likely manipulated her way onto the team in the first place. But then he began to drown in the pool of her emerald green eyes. Turmoil swirled in those awkward seconds then a single word tipped it in Natalia Misriah's favor: legacy.

Mike Nantz, the Lone Wolf, removed his helmet and met her look. Nodding his head, the answer he gave caused her to beam, bringing sunshine to a dark day. "Okay, I'll help you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**1310hrs, July 24, 2552, Visegrad Region, Planet Reach **

On route to the communications relay flying in the Falcon that had come to pick them up, true to his word, Mike began to teach Natalia. The seasoned soldier shared the tips and tricks he'd learned not only at Camp Curahee on planet Onyx during his training but also from his experience over the years in the field. To his surprise, the headstrong woman was an eager student, listening intently and asking intelligent questions when appropriate. Mike found also surprising that he enjoyed the role of teacher and the fact someone seemed to appreciate his skill.

Natalia was in awe of the man who was only a few years older than her. Mike's knowledge of war was even deeper then she'd expected. He seemed to have the knowledge of a grizzled training sergeant with thirty-plus years experience, not a young man in his early twenties. As she soaked up the teaching she couldn't help but think of Mackenzie and compare the two. Her boyfriend had lots of knowledge too but he'd used it to advance his own agenda. Mike's, on the other hand, had been honed in the field for the good of mankind. Despite their earlier frosty relations she found herself first admiring then being drawn to the Spartan.

Commander Carter watched the two speaking with each other on a private channel. He didn't know what they were talking about, he didn't much care. He liked what he'd seen out of Noble Six, though there still was too much of the 'lone wolf' mentality. Still, the guy could fight and they needed that right now. As well, Lt.-Commander Misriah had stayed out of his hair, that's what counted. The mission was quickly unraveling and he had a bad feeling about what was about to come. He'd need everyone at their best if they were going to get out of this. "Noble Two, sit-rep," the Spartan leader called to find out how things were going with the rest of his team.

"We're at the relay outpost," Kat answered. "Door's locked. Mechanism's been flash-fused."

"Can you beat it?" Carter asked, knowing that wasn't a good sign but then there hadn't been a good one all day.

"I dialed up my torch, cut a way through. Going to take some time," Noble Two confirmed.

"Okay, we're en route to your location," Carter reported then signed off. He couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead. He had a new team member he wasn't sure he could trust to truly follow orders when things got tough and an attachment from ONI who obviously had no combat experience. It wasn't a good combination. With the size and intensity of the opposition they'd faced so far this was not a raid but a full-scale invasion. He'd need the team at its best if they had any chance of surviving. He wasn't sure if they were up to it. The reflective Spartan wondered if that was how the rest of his Alpha Company members had felt as they were sent to slaughter. He'd dodged the bullet, literally, many times and had lasted longer than predicted. That had to count for something. He wasn't fatalistic and after all he'd seen wondered if there was a God. Regardless, he wasn't about to give up. He'd fight for the UNSC but more personally for Noble Team to the end.

Mike continued to coach Natalia, amazed at the amount of information he had to share. The last few years had been a bit of a blur and many parts he remembered he'd tried to forget. His missions and service thus far had been pretty unsavory and he'd often wondered if it made any difference. Yet here he was able to share with an eager audience what he had learned. It might just be enough to save her life and allow her to make a contribution to the team and the war effort. The thought made him…happy? He couldn't remember the last time he'd experienced that emotion so wasn't quite sure what it felt like. Regardless, a thought occurred to him that there may be others he could help with this experience. Maybe lone wolf wasn't such a good way to live. In truth, he knew it wasn't living at all but merely existing.

The communications spire of the relay post could be seen on the horizon so they were close. Natalia continued to listen intently to Mike as she felt her heart race with anticipation of what was to come. He remained calm at the prospect of more combat and shared with her from his vast experience. He seemed as cold as ice while she was ready to melt down

"We're approaching the com outpost," the Falcon pilot confirmed.

"Drop us in the courtyard," Carter responded.

The pilot looked down and saw the location was swarming with Covenant. "LZ's a little hot, sir-," he reported.

"Put her down, pilot," Carter ordered. Seeing Mike still engrossed in conversation with Natalia he barked, "Six, breaks over."

Mike removed his helmet wanting Natalia to see his face. He gave her a slight smile and nod of his head which caused her confidence to grow. Replacing his helmet as the Falcon began to settle for the landing he gave the nervous woman a thumbs up and said, "Okay, let's put what you've learned to the test. Stay on my right flank. You're my cover as we skirmish forward so don't allow any break in contact. We're a fire team now."

Natalia's heart soared. _We're a team_ she thought to herself. _I won't let you down Mike._

As the Falcon dropped down the pair could see the other members of Noble Team already engaged trying to pry the courtyard away from the Covenant. Before the helicopter touched down the remainder of the squad hit the ground engaging the enemy. The added weight of firepower from the newly arrived Spartans and Natalia tipped the balance in the human's favor so they were able to scatter the attackers. Noble regrouped for the first time since the surprise discovery that the Covenant were on Reach. The reunion was short lived as Commander Carter assessed the situation. Kat was already feverishly working on trying to override the main titanium steel blast doors into the complex that stood open so they'd be able to close the station off.

"How we doing, Kat?" Noble's leader asked.

"Taking a little longer than I hoped, Commander," she replied not looking from her task. "I've cut about halfway through the door."

"Contact!" Emile urgently reported.

The familiar high-pitched whine of an inbound Covenant dropship could be heard before it was seen.

Commander Carter slapped a fresh magazine into his assault rifle. "Hold them off until Kat can hack the controls."

The Covenant Spirit disgorged its mixed cargo of Elites, Jackals and Grunts. Noble Team took the initiative and attacked before they could form up, scattering the group. But more kept coming out then another dropship arrived forcing the Spartans back into the courtyard.

Natalia stayed close to Mike, covering his flank so he could move freely. She remembered his tips on fire control and found herself comfortable in combat for the first time. Though scared and heart racing, she could see the battle unfolding before her and what she needed to do clearly, almost like watching it at a slower speed.

Mike, on the other hand, was a whirlwind. He had an almost sixth-sense for where he needed to be. While Carter and Jorge focused on covering Kat, Emile would flit about blasting away with his shotgun. Jun had found himself a favorable spot and began picking away at high-value targets with his sniper rifle. That left Mike to be the fist that repeatedly would punch into the Covenant forces trying to stream past the guard and into the relay station. Any time the Covenant massed to attack Mike would slam into them first with Natalia covering his rear, disrupting their tactics. The result was an uncoordinated mess that favored the more motivated humans.

The air filled with sizzling plasma fire and hissing Needler rounds, the sheer weight of attackers was extreme and slowly the Covenant forces were pressing the Spartans back towards the blast door. Despite their best efforts the ferocity of those arrayed against them caused Noble Team to be bunched up around the blast door. The Covenant really seemed to want to control this location. Another Spirit could be seen flaring to land on the rise beyond the courtyard. With a squad of Elites waiting to jump into the fray, this would be more then they could handle.

Commander Carter assessed the situation and knew they were about to be overrun. Laying a burst of fire into a charging Elite that stopped it dead in its tracks he paused to call out urgently, "Kat?"

"Just about...there!" Kat answered tensely, aware of the risk they were all in. Then with a metallic click and a soft whir the massive titanium door began to close. "We're in!" she shouted in triumph.

"Everybody inside!" Carter ordered, tossing his last fragmentation grenade into the center of the courtyard to clear a path. "Go, go, go!"

Mike had just finished clearing out a swarm of Jackals well away from the haven of safety when the order came in. Whirling around to assess the situation in one motion he stuck a charging Elite with a captured Plasma Grenade. "Misriah, fall back to the door, I'll cover you," he ordered.

Natalia moved automatically, despite the scattering of Covenant between them and safety. Instinctively she knew with Mike covering her they'd be okay. True to his word Mike cleared a path for the two of them and they safely made it back to the door with only minor disruptions to their shields.

"Inside, cover the right flank," he commanded then patted her on the shoulder as she passed to move into the cover of the station.

Despite everything going on Natalia caught the unconscious gesture and smiled. _We're a team_, she thought to herself.

All the members of Noble Team congregated at the relay's entrance as the door closed. The concentrated firepower was enough to stop the Covenant cold in their tracks. Backing into the unlit foyer of the station all the members of Noble were now inside the door's radius. Plasma bolts continued to whiz into the chamber lighting up the empty room but the team continued to hold them off. Then with a metallic thud and heavy click the thick blast door closed and locked. The team breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That should hold them awhile," Kat commented, taking off her helmet and running her hand through her crew cut hair.

"Ya think?" Emile responded. "Define a while."

Kat snorted but didn't reply to the wry comment. Instead she walked over to Mike. "Good to see you made it through Six considering the extra baggage you had to carry." She placed her hand affectionately on his shoulder and left it there.

Natalia's anger flared at the derogatory comment aimed at her but even more at the hand which lingered on his shoulder.

"We need to find the control room," Commander Carter declared, ending the brief moment of respite. "From there, Kat can get the relay back online. Jun, post here. If we flush any hostiles, they're yours. All right, let's do this."

With Emile in the lead they moved from the receiving bay towards the inner part of the base. Though the lights were down the electrical system wasn't totally fried since the interior blast door opened with a soft thrum when they approached it. Moving through and entering another room these too were off.

"Can't see a thing," Carter stated with an edge of frustration. Then to Mike who'd moved up to take point with Emile he ordered, "Noble Six, turn on your night vision."

There were no sounds and nothing came up on the HUD but still the team moved cautiously through the dark corridor until they approached another room this time dimly lit by a series of emergency lights.

"Control room," Kat identified. Go easy."

Noble moved carefully into the room. Prominent in the centre was a dead civilian dressed like a scientist lying face down in a pool of blood. While the rest of the fanned out to search the control room Emile continued on scouting the area just beyond.

Kat moved through to examine the control panel as the rest of the team spread out. Passing by she asked Mike, "Noble Six, search that body." Moving to the control panel she could see the Covenant had already been in the room. "Damn, plasma damage," she said to herself over the open channel.

As Mike carefully rolled the body over, searching for booby traps, the rest of Noble fanned out and searched the area. Natalia was left to stand by herself in the middle of the room, unsure what to do.

Commander Carter found a wounded soldier hiding in a dark alcove of the control room. "Where's the rest of your unit?" he asked, glancing around the rest of the room since something didn't feel right.

"We got split," the injured soldier responded weakly. "I don't think they... It sounded bad on the comms."

"All right, corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon," Carter said, patting the man on the shoulder.

Mike was about to roll the dead body back down when a small data module popped out of one of the victims lab coat pockets. Taking a quick look he called out, "Found something."

Kat moved swiftly from her position examining the control panel and snatched the data module out of Mike's hand. "I'll take that, Six. Not your domain."

Mike was irritated by her presumption but before he could reply Jorge called out from another part of the room.

"I've got a live one over here," the big Spartan II announced rhetorically as they sound of a yelling female could be heard. "Come on, out you come."

Jorge tried to pick up a petite, dark-haired female, but she continued to hit him unafraid while yelling at him in what seemed to be Hungarian.

"It's all right, we're not going to hurt you," Jorge said to the young woman soothingly.

"Jorge...," an irritated Carter began.

"I've got her," he responded. Putting his heavy machine gun down he grabbed her softly. "Keep still and I'll release you."

The girl visibly calmed but continued to yell urgently in Hungarian pointing frantically around the room.

Signaling what the young woman had been gesturing about, an Elite Field Marshal jumped out of a hiding place with a roar brandishing an Energy Swords. With a vicious swing it sought to cut off Jorge's head. The Spartan II nimbly ducked down covering the cowering the woman and avoided the attack.

The Marshal growled a challenge to the rest of Noble Team while two more Zealots in burnished armor popped out of their hiding place. Seeing Natalia standing stunned at the unexpected event with her weapon down the Marshal charged at her with a ferocious roar. Kat moved with quick reflexes from her position to disrupt the charge and saved a frozen Natalia. But that left the Spartan open to the vicious Energy Sword. The Marshal nearly cut Kat down but Commander Carter pushed her out of the way. Mike snapped up his assault rifle and laid a stream of automatic fire onto the Elite which the others from Noble joined in.

The Marshal's energy shield drained so rather then stay it charged out of the room, knocking Mike over like a bowling pin as it ran out the door.

"Bad guy coming out!" Carter called out to Emile.

Seeing an opportunity another of the Zealots jumped on Mike. Grabbing him by the neck the Elite stabbed viciously with an energy dagger. Mike was quicker. Deflecting the dagger strike he countered with a punch into the center of the Elite's four hinged mandible mouth stunning the attacker for a moment. Outrage registered on its face as it roared in defiance at the Spartan. Its mandibles opening in anger the Zealot tried to stab again but by then Commander Carter had moved over to support and kicked the heavy Elite off of Mike. As the Elite tumbled to the floor Kat opened up with a long burst of automatic rifle fire draining its energy shield. Instead of staying to fight the two Elites began to back out of the room allowing Carter to kick Mike's assault rifle to him. The Spartan, along with the others, moved to cut the Elite's down but they grabbed the now shouting wounded UNSC soldier and used him as a shield. Between the shout of the frightened soldier and the screams of the civilian girl all was bedlam in the control room. Clear of the room the Zealots retreat as Noble holds it fire.

"That tango blew past me. Permission to pursue?" Emile asked in anticipation.

"Negative Four, stay on the entrance," Carter ordered. "Two, handle her. Five and Six, clear the hole."

Mike slapped a fresh mag into his MA37 then joined Jorge in the entrance to the room the two Elites had moved towards. He saw the crumpled body of the now dead soldier the Covenant had killed after using him as a shield. His anger burned at the wanton act of murder. "Let's go Five. I don't want them to get away," Mike called out tensely as Jorge sealed the interior blast door shut behind them. Then, in the darkened room, the two Spartans prepared for payback.

While Noble Five and Six went on the hunt the remainder of Noble Team and Natalia had the chance to catch their breath and assess the situation.

"What the heck were those hingeheads doing hiding in here?" Jun wondered. "That's not their style."

"Yea man, those were Zealots too. They don't retreat," Emile agreed. "Weird."

Rather then join in the conversation Kat instead charged over to where a still stunned Natalia stood alone. Ripping off her helmet she spit on the floor. "Listen you spoiled little rich kid," she spat out, "either do something or get out of the way before you get us killed."

"Come on Kat, we need that relay up and running," Carter intervened attempting to defuse the situation but also not contradicting the statement.

Kat glared at Natalia but said nothing more. In truth nothing further needed to be said. The divide had been increased. Kat Jammed her helmet on then went back to working on the control panel.

While the rest of Noble Team went about securing the room Natalia was left alone with her thoughts. Angry and embarrassed at being called out by Kat she also found herself concerned about Mike and what was happening with him. She snorted to herself at the thought. After seeing the man in action it was obvious he could look after herself. In contrast, she should be worried about her own safety since she still couldn't do any more then shadow Noble Six. Yet she still worried, it was a curious, new sensation for her.

In reality, she was right to worry. Mike and Jorge moved cautiously forward, searching out the two Elites. Trying to draw them out Jorge threw a flare to the other side of the room which turned out to be a storage bay. One of the Zealots responded by stepping out from behind a crate and firing a Concussion Rifle. Mike and Jorge barely got out of the way as the massive energy bolt slammed into the wall near them. In concert, a large number of Grunts and Jackals emerged to engage the two Spartans. The Noble Team members responded with automatic weapon fire and grenades. The tight quarters actually worked against the Covenant ambush since there were too many of them to not bump into each other whereas the humans worked together to systematically clear the room. As the minions were eliminated the two elusive Elites they were pursuing slipped out and down a nearby corridor.

Probing forward the Spartans were met with more Grunts blocking their path but by this point Mike and Jorge were working together like a well-oiled machine. Now an unstoppable juggernaut they cleared the path until only the retreating Sangheili remained. Mike led with a pair of grenades in quick succession, catching the Elites off guard. Draining their shields and though the Elite warriors roared in defiance it became their death song as the Lone Wolf cut down one with his MA37 and Jorge the other. Then, the room went silent. Nothing showed on their motion trackers but the pair did a thorough sweep of the area to ensure no cloaked Covenant remained.

Satisfied, Jorge removed his helmet and breathed a sigh of relief. Patting Mike on the shoulder he said, "Nicely done Mike."

"Thanks," the now accepted Noble Six replied, feeling a strange sense of joy at the simple compliment. It had been a long time since the opinion of anyone mattered to him.

"Noble Five reporting," Jorge called in on the team net. "Contacts neutralized."

"Kat needs you to reset a junction," Commander Carter responded to the report. "Do it and get back up here."

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" Jorge deadpanned to Mike.

Together they found the junction and Mike used some of the electronics skills he'd learned on a previous mission a few years past to reset it. Satisfied, the pair moved back to the control room to rejoin the team. Jun nodded his head in acknowledgement when the pair re-entered and Natalia, helmet off, took a couple of steps towards the pair before checking herself. She then stood staring at them, her deep emerald eyes showing a flash of emotion before settling down. Jorge looked at Mike and shrugged in confusion. For his part, Mike had a strange sensation in response to the intense woman's gaze. They found Kat was poking around inside a panel that had been removed and an increasingly tense Commander Carter was hovering over her.

"How long?" Carter asked Noble Two.

"Question of my life," Kat responded a bit sarcastically but not looking up from her work. "If the question is when will this station be back online, two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."

"Two minutes is too long," the leader of Noble team replied tensely.

"Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland... you're in my light, Commander," Kat said, signaling she didn't need his questions or help.

In frustration Carter turned to Jorge. "Find out what she knows," he ordered, referring to the civilian female who sat in a corner clutching her knees.

Jorge tried to connect with the young girl but she shoved his hand away. Finally he removed his helmet and began to talk to her in his native Hungarian. That seemed to do the trick. The girl snapped out of her shock. Sullenly she gave her name as Sara.

Jorge looked over at the body of the middle-aged scientist still lying on the floor. "Friend of yours?" he asked.

"Father," Sara responded dejectedly.

"Sajnálom," Jorge said genuinely in Hungarian. "I'm sorry."

"Why would you be?" Sara shot back bitterly.

"Big man forgets what he is sometimes," Emile said to Mike who was watching the interaction.

"She just lost her father," Jorge responded coldly to Emile. Then to Commander Carter he reported, "She needs a full psychiatric workup."

"She's not the only one," Emile interjected as Jorge glared at him.

"Lock it down, both of you!" Noble One ordered, in no mood for the banter. "Get her on her feet... the body stays here."

"Thank you, sir," Jorge answered, nodding his head in appreciation. He then walked by Emile bumping him slightly and glaring at the sarcastic Spartan. Moving to Sára he helped the traumatized girl get on her feet.

Natalia had stood off to the side, not involving herself and not being asked to participate. Neutral at best but after her exchange with Kat that was okay. The spontaneous woman had instinctively moved to hug Mike when he and Jorge had returned safely but then checked herself. What must he be thinking about her, she chided herself. She continued to act like a school girl which made her angry. Yet she continued to be in over her head and continued to be drawn to Mike leaving her emotions vulnerable.

"Signal. It's patchy, but it's there," Kat reported triumphantly.

"I'll take it," Carter answered, happy to finally be doing something.

"Best not touch anything," Kat cautioned. "You wouldn't want to ground this place."

While the rest of the team left the room to give their commander some privacy, Carter reported in on the direct patch to Noble Actual, Colonel Holland.

"... I'm barely getting you. What's your situation, over?" the overseer of Noble Team asked tensely.

"Colonel, this is Noble One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach. Acknowledge?"

"Come again, Noble One?" Colonel Holland asked incredulously. "Did you say Covenant?"

"Affirmative," Carter confirmed. "It's the WINTER CONTINGENCY."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

1128 hrs, July 26, 2552, on route to Sword Base, Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz, Planet Reach

Winter Contingency- the UNSC's doomsday planned contingency for if the Covenant ever found a major human planet such as Reach. It was a theory that chilled the bones of the strategists and now had become a reality. The forces on the ground and in space around Reach adjusted to this numbing truth. As the UNSC rushed any available ship to the planet to defend this vital center they also tried to keep it quiet on Earth. The fear of panic was legitimate and there was an unrealistic expectation they could win this one. So the powers to be responded with force at Reach and suppression of information on Earth.

The pressure of politics and the big-picture problem of the invasion were lost on Noble Team. Theirs was the micro world of fight and survive. Since the initial discovery two days earlier of the Covenant incursion they'd been fighting a series of delaying actions around key installations in the area in addition to supporting UNSC Army troops that had gotten themselves in trouble. There had been no lack of opportunity to keep busy so they had been moving and fighting virtually non-stop until Colonel Holland pulled them back to Buford Station for some much needed rest and rearming.

It was short lived.

A concerted attack by the Covenant on the main facility of Sword Base in another region, showing the invasion had expanded, sent them back into action after only a couple hours of down time.

Jorge looked out the open, sliding door of the utility helicopter and couldn't help sighing while absently cleaning his M247H HMG. Though he'd been away from Reach for years, had been taken forcefully from her, she was still home. His interactions with Sara, the young lady they'd saved at the relay station had disturbed him, bringing back unhappy memories. Yes, it was pleasant to talk in his native tongue and the time they'd spent together before she was handed over to a civilian aid station had been a welcome distraction but it also reminded him of all he'd missed over the course of his life. All he knew was killing, destruction, death….but always there was Reach, a haven of safe, happy memories for him. Now the war had come to his home and he feared for the future of it and the one thing that kept him from the fear of becoming a mindless killing machine.

While the big Spartan II mused, Natalia was so tired she could hardly keep her mind clear. The constant pressure of fight and move was wearing her down. Though in top shape, the woman knew she couldn't sustain this pace forever. The privileged woman marveled at the stamina of Mike and the other Spartans. They never seemed to tire. True, the elite troopers had been medically enhanced but there was something more to the members of Noble Team. Each had a dogged resilience, a drive to not give up that went far beyond what medical science had given them. It was this resolve, and not what had been injected into them, that made these Spartans true super soldiers. She'd always thought of the Spartans as being some sort of robots but now knew this to be a lie. Each had their own unique personalities and she suspected if she went deeper their own hopes and dreams.

Still, none of them could go on forever, least of them Natalia Misriah, but the necessities of defending Planet Reach took precedent over the personal needs of Noble Team.

Despite the increasing likelihood they were going to lose this fight Mike found himself at peace and even perhaps enjoying himself if he knew what that even meant anymore. He was serving with a top notch team. He'd found an old friend to be alive and was able to use his skills to help the group as a whole. The Lone Wolf seemed to be fading from view. Still, there was the tension of experience and history. Already there had been several of Commander Carter's decisions he would have done differently. Two days earlier he'd done things what he thought to be a better way and had been rebuked by Noble One. That angered Mike and it took everything he had to not argue with the team leader. He also now had Lt. Comm. Misriah in tow with him constantly. He'd done his best to teach her how to fight but she was slowing him down. The others in Noble seemed to like it that way since they then didn't have to deal with the ONI officer who was clearly out of her element. As much as he resented it Mike had to admit that the blonde-haired woman had been learning quickly and had done okay. He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts of the conflicting feelings rattling around inside him. There'd been no time to sort all this stuff out before they saw action and there promised little opportunity to do that now.

Now they found themselves flying over the Babd Catha Ice Shelf in Eposz. Sword Base, a critical ONI research facility in the region, was under heavy attack so Noble Team had been tasked to assist. Moving over the rugged terrain towards the coast area ice interspersed with the same soaring rock formations common to the area created a breathtaking sight that none took in due to the growing pressure of the coming mission. Patches of fog from the cold of the ice continued to hang on despite the sun of mid-day. It was going to be a typical hot day in July. Large ice bergs floated in the water dotting the still ocean providing a laneway for the two UH-144 Falcons Noble rode in to dance in and out of travelling to support the beleaguered garrison.

The team prepared to do what they could. A short distance from the base the team primed to move in.

"Be advised, kilo-three-three and kilo-three-four, your current LZ is too hot!" the Sword Base Command-and-Control Center reported, warning the inbound Falcons

"Roger that," Commander Carter acknowledged the not unexpected development. Dot, standby to receive and respond," the Noble Team leader contacted their dedicated Artificial Intelligence Asset.

"Yes, Commander... coordinates received," their AI responded in a pleasant female voice, "beginning to scan relevant data to provide an alternative solution."

Passing a large island and coming into view of the Sword Base area of operation the team were shocked to find a Covenant SDV-Class heavy corvette hovering just off from the base.

"Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is presently under siege from a corvette-class Covenant vessel," Aunt Dot reported redundantly. "Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has been, for the moment, prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces have been unsuccessful. However, current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Team Noble's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."

Commander Carter sighed heavily at the unexpected development. Nothing was ever easy for Noble Team. "Alright people," he signaled the others to pay attention, "we're stuck with that ship for the time being. Let's focus on the hostile infantry - give those troopers a hand," he decided.

As Covenant forces pressed in on the heavily engaged UNSC Army forces the Falcons looked for a place to land so Noble Team could get involved. Finding a spot Commander Carter ordered one of the Falcons to land. Hovering several feet above the large base the deployment began.

"Kat, Six, you're out here. Jorge, Emile, you're next, get prepped," Carter ordered.

"What about me, sir, I'll go with them," Natalia jumped in volunteering to stay with Mike.

"Negative. You'll stay with me and act in a support capacity," the Noble Team leader responded brusquely.

"Sorry sweetheart, maybe next time," Kat called out to Natalia. Then putting her hand on Mike's back she called out, "Let's move, lieutenant."

The Falcon hovered a few feet off the ground allowing Kat and Mike to jump off before rising up to drop the next group off.

"Kat, Six, push back the attack on Sword Base, find out what we're dealing with," Carter ordered them.

"Roger that, we're your strike team," Kat confirmed, giving Mike a thumb's up. The pair now became an independent fire team.

There was no time to think. The outer area of the base was completely overrun by all manner of the Covenant looking to overwhelm the garrison. Moving instinctively the pair of Spartans engaged the attackers beginning to sweep the area they'd landed in, seeking to secure a foothold.

"Spartans, hostiles north," they received word from Sword Control who had picked them up on their grid so began acting as a fire control point.

Seeing ground fire from an area above them Mike and Kat moved to link up with some of the beleaguered UNSC troops. Using the natural cover of the bases entry ramps they thinned out the opposition sweeping the area and giving the army soldiers some breathing room using a lethal combination of automatic weapon fire and grenades.

For their part the Covenant were smart enough to see the threat from the newly arrived Spartans so shifted their focus from the outmatched UNSC troopers to the super soldiers. That played into the Noble Team member's strength. Allowing their armor to absorb most of the blows but never getting so depleted to be at genuine risk, which allowed the other troops to concentrate their fire in support of the attacking Spartans. The combined firepower was sufficient to clear the area in a short period of time allowing the two Spartans a quick breather.

"Just like old times, eh Mike?" Kat called out with a whoop.

"Yea, except these aren't DI's with stun rounds," Mike shot back, sharing the exhilaration at surviving the odds yet again.

The years they'd been apart melted away as the two moved as one in a dance of destruction, shifting, covering and always maintaining a steady rate of fire that mowed the Covenant down before them like spring grass.

There were so many targets lit up on the IFF that the Spartans instead went on instinct, bobbing and weaving their way through the outer area of the structure eliminating all resistance along the way.

Moving up and over, with the help of the base defense forces the two Spartans were able to clear a courtyard and then moved down an adjacent ramp to another level. Not pausing to rest, instead they gathered ammo from fallen soldiers and reloaded on the run not allowing the staggered Covenant attackers to regroup.

Whoever was organizing the enemy troops threw in a group of plumed Kig-Yar Skirmishers to try to slow the Spartans down but Mike in particular was a juggernaut, bowling through them. Finally, the backbone of the Covenant attack broken they secured the whole area.

"Noble Two to Sword Control: courtyard is clear, over," Kat reported as Mike looked around for any enemy who had hidden themselves.

"Head to the main gate to the east, I'll brief you as you go," Sword Control requested.

Ensuring the remaining UNSC troops they'd fought with were in a good defensive position to two Spartans moved through another major gate to the sprawling base picking up supplies along the way including a Targeting Indicator.

"What do you think?" Mike asked ask of the laser designator.

Kat shrugged. "Who knows, might be of use. Remember that one mission back at Curahee…," she began.

"Yes I do," Mike responded with a snort but we don't have time for that." He stored the electronic device in his kit bag and they moved out to their next objective, thinking with amusement for a moment about the incident from their youthful training Kat had alluded to.

Travelling outside the walls of the base the strike team attempted to extend the perimeter to give the beleaguered troops guarding it a bit of a buffer zone. Moving away from cover though brought them into the line of fire of Covenant armor.

Attempting to assist a harried Warthog vehicle Kat and Mike found themselves tangling with a pair of Wraith tanks. After dodging and trading fire they found a use for the targeting indicator they'd picked up earlier. Using it to lase in on the mortar-carrying Wraiths one at a time they called in artillery strikes which disabled the Covenant armored thrust. Without the firepower their ground forces became easy prey for the Spartans backed up by UNSC troops. Again, they swept the area clear of attackers.

A high pitched whine overhead got their attention as an inbound Pelican dropped off a Warthog Force Application Vehicle in a cloud of swirling dust.

"Hey Mike, you get the idea we're about to go for a drive?" Kat deadpanned.

He only shook his head. It was just another day for a Spartan.

While Mike and Kat were facing their own struggles to control Sword Base the rest of Noble Team were inserted to begin the defense of the key military structure. Natalia and Commander Carter were last to go. Their Pelican dropped them in a courtyard near what appeared to be the main entrance to the central administrative building.

Carter looked around to get the lay of the land. Apparently seeing what he was looking for he turned to Natalia. "Okay, you enter here and report to Sword Control. I want you monitoring comms and supporting them as needed. Our fallback point if necessary is here so you need to assist in holding this position. Got it?"

"Got it sir," Natalia replied without emotion. Oh, she got it all right. The commander of Noble Team didn't want her in the way so stuck her in the center of the bases Command-and-Control structure where she wouldn't get into trouble. Great, so much for proving her worth.

Commander Carter didn't stick around long enough to catch the dissatisfaction. He sprinted away towards the sound of intensifying combat leaving Natalia alone. For a moment she thought of defying his order and going to the fight. It wouldn't be hard to find, it was all around them and truly there was no 'safe' place on the base. In the end, fear of the unknown and fear of defying an order caused her to move like a robot into the command bunker. The steel door shot open with a hiss and she walked in, her eyes adjusting to the dull light. There were a half –dozen soldiers huddled over monitors and in communication with the defense forces. A harried looking lieutenant seemed startled when she entered into the room. "Can I help you ma'am?" he asked quickly.

"I've been tasked to provide liaison support for Noble Team," she replied, knowing how lame it sounded even to her.

The dark haired junior officer, likely around Natalia's age gave her a strange look but didn't comment. "Well, okay. You can plug into that terminal over there," he pointed to an unoccupied work station. "I can't do much more than that. Sorry, we're pretty busy." With that he ignored her too and went back to the more important work of trying to defend the base.

For the next two hours she listened to the radio chatter and watched in rapt fascination the feeds from various video monitors around the base.

"3 Echo 21 requesting support on east perimeter, Covenant forces are too strong."

"3 Echo 34 needs immediate support. We have Covenant armor crawling all over us."

"This is Sword Control to 3 Echo 17, you are ordered to abandon the outer rim and fall back to secondary position Lima, acknowledge."

"3 Echo 57 come in, this is Sword Control. 57 acknowledge over. Any station- do you have contact with 3 Echo 57?"

57's gone! We got to bug out!"

"Hold your positions. We have Spartans inbound to assist."

It went on and on like that and little of the news was good. On occasion she would hear Noble Team on the general base channel since they'd plugged in on that grid.

"Noble 4, you need to reposition to higher ground covering north. Seek out targets of priority."

Noble 3, you and 5, reinforce the north approach. Base defenses are collapsing and we need to hold that area."

But of growing interest were the transmissions pertaining to Mike and Kat. As they were sent away from the core of the base she had a combination of admiration for what they were doing, growing fear of something happening to Mike and an even stronger jealousy of Kat for being there with him. She became particularly nervous when the pair was sent alone outside the base lines to reactivate an off-line AA battery needed for support. Her heart soared though when the report came in of their successful completion. When she cheered several of the other operators stopped to look at her.

Still, despite their successes, things were going poorly and the base's defenses were beginning to collapse. The Covenant corvette hanging above like a sword of Damocles had begun ground bombardment, though as of yet for some reason they hadn't begun glassing the area. Still, they wouldn't need it to destroy the base.

Thus far the battle had been largely an academic exercise for Natalia until she heard the officer directing the forces contact Mike and Kat: "Noble Strike, this is Sword Control, the old Farragut Station has its own comms array that we should bring back online with command. Airview Base has an anti-air battery that will help clear the skies."

She had to force herself to breath. Both locations were well outside the base's shrinking defensive perimeter so were crawling with Covenant. Kat's reply did nothing to help her condition.

"Roger that. AA gun is to the west, comms array to the east. We're on it and will get them back online." Natalia heard Kat's closing remark to Mike on the open channel: Let's roll."

One such mission was deadly, two were impossible. It was a suicide mission.

Back just outside the base Kat gave Mike a sly grin. "What do you think?" The woman was having the time of her life.

"AA gun is going to do this base a lot more good right now then a sitrep to headquarters," Mike responded with a shrug.

"I agree, go for the gun," Kat affirmed. I'll drive," she declared giving him a wink.

Mike shook his head and laughed despite all the destruction around them. Same old Kat. He hopped up into the rear settling behind the M41 Vulcan Light Anti-Aircraft Gun. Pulling back the cocking handle he heard the comforting _thunk_ of a 99mm round settling into the chamber. They were ready to rock and roll.

"Can I come along too, Lieutenant Commander?"

Kat and Mike looked to see a young soldier with the name of LADD sewn on his uniform standing at the side of the Warthog with a look of anticipation.

"You got any ammo for that DMR?" Kat asked.

"Yes ma'am, a full complement," the soldier responded instantly.

"Hop aboard," Kat invited him with a jerk of her thumb. Plunking her helmet down on her head she called out: "Hang on, this is going to be a rough ride."

The feisty Spartan didn't need to be a prophet to know the truth of her statement. Less than a half kilometer west of the base they came under fire from a variety of Covenant positions. Kat kept the accelerator down the whole time bumping and swaying. The 12 liter liquid-cooled, hydrogen-injected engine roared in response but the three tonne Force Application Vehicle stayed on the ground flying to their objective.

"I'm picking up a power source, we're close to the AA gun," Kat called out.

"Contacts!" Trooper Ladd called out rhetorically.

The installation swarmed with Covenant. Squat, waddling Grunts, shady Jackals and at least a section of armored Elites held the location and didn't look ready to be dislodged. Mike opened up with the M41 LAAG spitting out a flame of 12.7 x 99mm slugs. At a rate of 500 rounds per minute the Vulcan roared in response cutting a swath wherever Mike pointed it. Kat zigzagged back and forth around the station while Mike swiveled back and forth systematically thinning out resistance. Several nimble Ghost single-seat Rapid Attack Vehicles tried to stop them but the armor-piercing rounds from the LAAG shredded them in short order.

Satisfied they'd made their presence felt, Kat brought the Warthog to a grinding halt and they bailed out. The UNSC forces would need to do the rest on foot.

"That's the gun over there. Should be a reset control somewhere, get it online," Kat gestured to Mike. "Ladd and I will hold the fort while you fire it up."

Providing covering fire against the regrouping Covenant forces that had been scattered during the initial assault Mike sprinted to the Fire Control Centre for the AA battery that sat idle on the plain. Several Grunts were hiding inside so Mike dispatched them easily despite their attempt to slow him down with plasma bolts and Needler rounds. Charging up the stairs he ran smack into an Elite who was trying to snipe at Kat and Trooper Ladd. With no time to fire Mike charged into him and beat the roaring Sangheili with the butt end of his MA37. Three savage blows took the Elite's shield down and another two right in the mandibles stove in its head like a keg.

The top of the platform was clear.

Moving to the corner of the roof he found the anti-aircraft battery's reset control and activated it. Mike was rewarded with the staccato sound of the AA gun immediately opening fire on the dancing Banshees and Covenant dropships around the Corvette.

"That did it, Six. AA gun is online," an elated Kat called out.

"Nice work, Spartans," Sword Control cut in, still monitoring from the base. "Get to Farragut Station and get that comms array up and running."

In the C-and-C bunker Natalia was both shocked and elated. While the efforts of Emile, Jun and Jorge had also been impressive none had accomplished what Mike and Kat did who were now being asked to do the impossible again. She'd prayed they would be recalled to the base but instead their reward was to be sent on an end-around to the other side of the facility to reset a communications relay. Like good soldiers the pair never questioned the order. _But then that's what they've been conditioned for virtually their whole lives,_ Natalia thought to herself. _Not just conditioned but created_. A shiver went up her spine at the thought of the procedure to make a Spartan. She'd read about the classified process as part of her job with ONI. It horrified her. As much as she admired the Spartans now seeing the human side of the 'super soldiers' she also couldn't help but see the injustice of what had been done to them. Taken as children, trained harder than the elite ODSTs and medically altered, their lives had been stolen from them. Natalia then recalled conversations she'd been involved with in the past year with her father and MacKenzie; how they'd talked with such cold calculation about 'assets' and 'cost return'. She'd nodded her head in agreement not really caring rather than screaming that these were people and not tools. But she'd been silent, as she'd always been on issues that didn't impact her own ambition or comfort.

More reports poured in over the communications network of the increasingly desperate struggle. The Spartans seemed to be single-handedly holding onto the important installation.

A fresh wave of condemnation swept over the thoughtful woman as she realized she'd had the luxury of such musings all her life and again right now. While Mike and the other Spartans risked their lives to try to protect the base, she was in a position of relative safety yet again. The idea tasted like bile in her mouth. Something needed to change.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**1312 hrs, July 26, 2552, Sword Base, ****Babd Catha Ice Shelf, ****Eposz****, ****Planet Reach**

As Natalia mused Mike and Kat had a dilemma. The Warthog they'd traveled in had been too badly damaged to continue.

_Better it then me_, Mike thought to himself suddenly caring whether he lived or died for some reason. He'd not had anything to live for other than killing Covenant for years. And now? What was it?

"So what are we going to do? Hitchhike?" a voice cut into his musings.

Kat interrupted Mike's thoughts with the reality of their situation. "I don't know," he confessed a bit absently.

Sword Control had them covered. A Pelican swooped in from the base with another Warthog hanging from its belly since the air corridor in that sector was clear of Covenant air assets due to the deadly precision of the fully operational AA gun. Hovering over the ground the Pelican dropped its cargo which landed with a heavy _thud_ bouncing freely on its suspension.

It was a M12 Gauss Warthog.

"Spartans, this is Sword Control. Thought you could use some mobile firepower," Sword Control reported to them.

"How thoughtful. And it's just my size," Kat commented wryly. "Let's roll or we'll miss afternoon tea."

Once again Trooper Ladd, who had miraculously survived the assault on the AA battery, took the passenger seat while Mike jumped into the back cocking the M68 ALIM Gauss Cannon.

Dirt flying, Kat punched the accelerator of the Gauss Hog and they jumped into motion. Heading now to the east the communications relay popped up as a waypoint on their HUD's. Again, resistance popped up along the way. Explosions churning up the turf, Mike opened a path with strategically placed 130mm rounds from the auto-feeding cannon while Ladd used his DMR to take care of other targets of opportunity.

Arriving at the station the group found the outer lying single story buildings and courtyard occupied by Covenant. The humans used the same tactic as before. Kat swept back and forth around the station in a crazy pattern of trying to give her passengers shots while not getting blown up. In shorter order then expected they cleared resistance that seemed to melt into the surroundings.

Coming to a halt a short distance from the simple concrete building Kat hopped out. "Hope that comms array has a working generator."

Mike jumped out leveling his assault rifle sweeping back and forth. Something didn't feel right, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Ladd got halfway out of the passenger seat when a hissing flash of light from the building connected with his head causing it to erupt in a spray of red mist.

"Ambush!" Kat called out the warning too late.

Mike turned in the direction of the shot spotting a Jackal wielding a deadly Particle Beam Rifle. Another beam of ionized hydrogen gas cut through the afternoon sky in his direction. Rolling out of the way the Spartan came to a knell and let rip a burst from his MA37. Though not able to penetrate the sniper's energy shield it did cause the avian creature to displace.

The ground erupted beside him as a plasma round exploded, throwing him hard into the chassis of the Gauss Hog draining his shield.

"Mike!" Kat called out urgently. Running to his side she saw her friend was okay. This time she had no wise cracks. "We've got a Revenant inbound. We got to take it out Six."

Shaking his head to try to get rid of the ringing in it, Mike climbed back into the Gauss Hog's turret while Kat fired up the engine. Another plasma round from the light mobile artillery vehicle hissed through the air landing exactly where the human transport had been ten seconds earlier.

Kat gunned the engine of the Warthog, juking wildly to keep out of the trace of fire from the Revenant which gave chase attempting to drop deadly plasma fire on top of them. The Covenant gunner was good, keeping them defensive by bracketing fire. The earth shook around them and shards of razor sharp rock flew through the air. Mike tried several times but had no shot, barely able to keep from being bounced out the back of the bouncing Hog. Kat did everything she could to break free but the nimble Covenant vehicle matched her moves. Mike got hit by a splash of plasma from a near miss, draining his shield. Fortunately nothing else hit him allowing it to regenerate.

"Hold on Mike, I'm going to try something a bit crazy," Kat called out, desperate to turn the tables.

"What do you call this?" he yelled back.

Kat picked up speed heading directly for a group of rocks jutting out of the ground. With a whoop she yanked the wheel at the last second to ensure they hit the outcrop on the side rather than trying to avoid it. The Warthog leapt into the air wildly careening precariously on its side. The Revenant driver hadn't expected the crazy tactic so pulled up too late, slamming into the rock formation and stopping its forward progress. The Warthog though landed with a bounce on a 90 degree angle from its previous position, presenting Mike with a clear line of sight on the momentarily stopped artillery platform.

"Take the shot!" Kat screamed.

_Boom Boom Boom_

In rapid succession Mike pumped three 130mm rounds into the Revenant. All three struck and the Covenant armored vehicle erupted with a satisfying explosion.

With the Revenant out of the way it was easy to mop up the remainder of the Covenant forces. Leaving the Gauss Hog Mike and Kat moved fluidly together entering the buildings of the station until they first found the generator switch. Then pushing aside token resistance the Spartans found the communications array on the roof of an adjacent building and activated it.

"Sword Control this is Spartan Strike," Mike called in. "Comms array is back online. Awaiting further instructions."

Just like that, the impossible had become not only possible but had happened. It was just another day for the Spartans.

Natalia had listened to the radio chatter between Mike and Kat on the team channel. Her heart soared with every moment they not only stayed alive but survived. First the AA gun was brought back up, clearing the skies, and then the comms array had been rebooted. The impossible had happened. The two Spartans had not only stayed alive but succeeded against the insurmountable odds. Her admiration for the two grew with each second and the pride of being part of Noble Team grew with it. But then, once again, reality crashed in. She wasn't part of Noble Team. She was an adjunct, a hitchhiker. Worse still, she felt the quiet voice inside condemning her: _freeloader, vampire….you suck the life out of him and give nothing in return_

_ "_NO!"

Natalia's shout caused several of the operators to look around and one even drew her sidearm before realizing there was no threat, just an unenhanced ONI officer in MJOLINIR armor she didn't deserve. But then everyone knew ONI had its own rules, as did Spanner Misriah.

Finally, Natalia heard the word she'd wanted: "Good work, Spartans. Return to Sword Base, the rest of your team is inbound, imminent."

Their mission accomplished, Mike and Kat were being brought back to the others, as safe as that was right now.

Commander Carter responded to Sword Control's request. "Noble, be advised: Covenant Corvette moving into position. Kat, Six, get here quick. We need you inside."

The elation was short lived.

The sound of small arms fire and several explosions from outside caused everyone to pause from what they were doing and look towards the sound in anxiety. A bleeding corporal burst through the door. "We're being overrun. We can't hold this area any longer. We got hingeheads breathing down our throats. You have to retreat to a new position!"

"All right people," the lieutenant ordered. "We're going to relocate to our secondary position in ONI headquarters. Do a quick data dump and then move. You have one minute." Looking at Natalia, he said simply, "You're welcome to come with us ma'am or link back up with your team. Your call."

With that the officer flipped open a clear panel with a red button and hit it to begin a countdown to destroy the communications center. "Everyone out. She's going to blow in three minutes. Move!"

Not knowing what else to do or even where to go, Natalia blindly followed the others and hoped she'd find someone she knew.

Unaware of the crumbling defenses at Sword Base Mike knelt down in no-man's land beside Trooper Ladd and checked for vitals.

"Come on Mike, he's wasted. Let's go," Kat called from the driver's seat of the Gauss Hog, revving the engine for emphasis.

The Lone Wolf didn't care. The young UNSC soldier deserved better. It was obvious he was dead but Mike made sure. Grabbing the young man's dog tags he jumped back behind the gun.

Kat floored the vehicle to return to base. Speeding along a natural trail between rock faces they made good time back to the main gate of the base. There were more Covenant forces swarming the area including several more Revenants but the two Spartans didn't allow them to slow them down. Brushing aside the opposition they parked the Gauss Hog beside the entry keypad.

"We're stalled in the tower atrium, Kat. Where are you?" Jun called out over the team channel. The sound of small arms fire and explosions filled the open mic.

"Opening the gate now!" Kat deftly punched in the entry code and the door slid open. The pair sprinted in then closed it behind them, ensuring no attackers could follow.

It didn't matter, the Covenant were already swarming over the inner parts of the base courtyard. Fortunately the mixed group of Grunts and Jackals were more concerned with the UNSC soldiers they had pinned down in the entrance to the atrium to notice the new arrivals. That gave Kat and Mike the opportunity they needed. Loading fresh mags the pair led with each tossing two grenades to signal their arrival then following with intense automatic fire from their assault rifles. They not only cut a path to the soldiers but also broke the stimulus for attack giving them a breather.

Reloading and gathering more grenades they saw their position couldn't hold so ordered the few soldiers left in the zone to fall back with them in their quest to connect with the rest of Noble Team. The group was surprised to find not only Covenant inside the structure coming towards them but also a pair of deadly Hunters. Truly the situation at Sword Base was falling apart. The corvette continued its salvos from above and more troops were dropping in. The Covenant seemed to desperately want the base for some reason.

The attacking enemy switched to a support role to allow the Hunters to do their damage. A unique gestalt of smaller creatures known as Lekgolo, Hunters are a colony of orange, worm-like creatures that group together to exponentially increase their intelligence, strength, and maneuverability. Clad in armor, carrying a heavy shield and firing a deadly incendiary Fuel Rod Gun the thirteen foot tall creatures were mini-tanks. Working in pairs they were the most formidable creature in the Covenant.

Mike and Kat fell back behind cover as one of the Hunters let rip a blast from their deadly assault cannon. Regrouping, Mike moved out of cover to draw fire while Kat sweep around the side. Another gel round made contact beside where Mike moved, the explosion knocking him off his feet. Rolling in one motion the Spartan got up and fired a burst from his assault rifle to maintain focus. This allowed Kat to move in and stuff a grenade into the Hunter's exposed back. The grenade went off with a satisfying _thump_. Wriggling orange worms spilled out of the beast like entrails and it fell dead to the ground with a loud death scream. The Hunter's mate flew into an anguished frenzy forgoing its cannon in an attempt to bash Kat to death. Leaving Mike uncovered it was easy for the Spartan to move in and empty a full clip of ammo into the distracted beasts back. It too dropped dead to the ground.

With the Hunters down and the added firepower of the UNSC soldiers who rallied, the remaining opposition was swept aside. Continuing to charge further into the building their waypoint indicators took the Spartans to a bank of elevators.

"Let's get to the Atrium. We'll have to go through the elevator, Mike. Take it."

Mike hit the button for the main level and the door slid silently shut behind them and they were alone. With light muzak playing from the loudspeaker the scene was surreal, as if nothing was going on around them. Then a nearby explosion rocked the elevator causing its lights to flicker momentarily.

"Corvette's hitting this base hard," Emile called out to no one in particular over the comms.

"Where's our orbital support?" Kat called out in frustration. "Got to be four platforms that could take it out with a single MAC round."

The elevator slowed to a stop so the pair braced for whatever they would find. The door slid open silently and an artificial voice greeted them in what turned out to be a reception area of the ONI security office.

"WELCOME TO THE OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. AN ONI REPRESENTATIVE WILL MEET YOU SHORTLY."

"I doubt that very much," Kat retorted.

The automated PA system responded after doing whatever scan it had been programmed for. "THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT. YOU HAVE BEEN CLEARED FOR ACCESS."

The sound of an intense firefight nearby drove the two to push their pace instinctively knowing their teammates were nearby.

Earlier, moving outside of the Communications Center Natalia got the first sense of how bad things really were. The sound of human and Covenant weapons fire intermingled creating a din of noise. Chaotic running skirmishes were taking place as each side tried to gain the upper hand. For the invaders, it was only a matter of time since the base defenses had been breached. Unsure what to do Natalia followed the UNSC soldiers who were running as fast as they could and not concerning themselves with the firefights going on around them.

"Where to Sarge?" one pimply-faced trooper called to his leader in fear.

"ONI HQ. That's where we make our stand. Don't worry son, there's Spartans there," the middle-aged NCO responded not breaking stride.

_Spartans_, Natalia thought, noting also the confidence that statement exuded. _That's where I want to be._

Arriving a short time later the senior NCO punched in a sequence on a keypad and the two story blast door raised up with a metallic whine. Once inside the Sergeant pointed to four troopers. "All right, you hang tight here. I'll find some help for you. Nothing that's not human gets past you, got it? Rest of you, with me, a new command center is being set up off the Atrium."

A few minutes and one elevator ride later the refugees from the captured Communications Center checked in with the remaining senior officers. Natalia saw Commander Carter conferring with an UNSC Army major so went over to report.

"Ms. Misriah, what are you doing here?" Noble Team's leader asked in surprise, as if he'd forgotten her.

"Communications Center was overrun sir, we had to fall back to a new location," Natalia answered, no longer hurt by the Spartan's indifference. She now knew it was not about her, the leader had bigger things on his mind.

"Okay, well I'm glad you're okay. Hang tight here and provide support," Carter ordered then concentrated on his comm link. Jun, find a good spot with cover. I want you to be able to cover this whole Atrium area."

"Roger that."

"Emile, I want you to get high and see what can be done about that corvette. Also, make sure nothing comes down on top of us."

"I'm on it boss," Noble Four responded over the radio.

A dull explosion could be felt and heard coming from a lower level of the building.

"Blast doors been forced open, the building is breeched," a junior officer reported panicky.

"Jorge, you're with me," Carter responded instantly. "We're going to hold this area."

"Right then, I'm with you," Jorge acknowledged, racking an armor-piercing shell into his heavy machine gun.

Natalia realized she'd be providing support sooner than expected as the sound of small arms fire moved steadily towards them. Ensuring she had a fresh magazine in her assault rifle, she checked to make sure the safety was off, took a deep breath and prepared to do what she was capable of. The fear of her own death had disappeared at some point in the day, she didn't know when or how, but now a deeper, greater fear took over but this was one that motivated her rather than causing her to fall into gridlock- a fear of letting down those around her who were preparing to make a desperate last stand.

"Boss," Emile cut in urgently, Dropship is inserting troops from above. Can't hold 'em. They'll be coming down on your heads an moment!"

Almost in the same breath another voice from below added to the anxiety, "We got Hunters in the lower level….can't stop them, they're moving up."

Carter swore and was about to give an order when a swarm of Covenant charged into the Atrium from a side area. Led by a pair of screaming suicide-Grunts who charged towards a group of soldiers they detonated themselves throwing bodies and parts in the air. The fall back point had already been compromised. Jackals appeared on an upper level balcony and began to fire down with Plasma Rifles. Colorful plasma bolts and Needler rounds filled the air while the human forces responded with a hail of lead. All around was chaos as the soldiers and Spartans did the best they could to establish control over the building.

Natalia saw an Elite with Energy Sword activated come out from behind a pack of Grunts and move towards the room where the command echelon had been placed for their protection. Their security detail was already down or engaged so the Zealot had a free run. She was in a good position, behind cover, and safe. She saw the scene unfold, knew no one else could do anything so got up and sprinted across the room. Several Needler rounds hit her but her armor absorbed the bursting charges. Moving swiftly she came up on the flank of the Elite. Dropping to one knee she opened fire with a burst from her Assault Rifle. Caught unaware the hulking Sangheili's armor drained before it knew it. Turning with a roar towards its attacker Natalia adjusted fire and walked a steady stream of high velocity rounds from its chest right into its gaping maw. The Elite crumpled to the ground. Not having time to enjoy her moment of victory the exposed woman was subjected to fire from above. Rolling out of the way she found cover and began to systematically return fire. Natalia realized how calm she finally was despite the fact every human in the room was dreading the arrival of the heavily armored hulking Hunters. All the lessons Mike had taught her the last few days were coming together. Despite the growing desperation of the fight she felt an elation she'd never experienced her whole life and giving an unexpected peace.

The interior blast door opened up and out from the area down below. Several turned in anticipation of the arrival of the Hunters who would signal the end of their desperate stand. Instead, charging out guns blazing to join the fight were Noble Two and Noble Six.

Mike and Kat had pushed aside the token resistance from the receiving area towards the interior blast door which opened to the Atrium area. They could tell by the radio traffic the fallback point had already been compromised so kept pressing up and through.

Entering in, the scene was chaotic with Spartans and UNSC soldiers intermingled with all form of Covenant. Mike looked for targets of opportunity, quickly assessing the situation with his seasoned eye. Then he saw Natalia. The ONI officer sprinted from good cover to engage a burnished red armor clad Elite dropping the imposing warrior with a controlled burst of fire. He switched his focus to a lesser Elite trying to overwhelm a soldier protecting a Medic giving aid to some wounded soldiers. With precision he directed his fire to the Elites center of mass until its shield drained then placed a burst in the Sangheili's head. Slapping in a fresh magazine Mike moved further into the room and to his left, using the butt end of his rifle to drop the energy shield of a Jackal then with another to smash in its skull. While this was going on he could see Natalia coolly holding her position despite the risk of being flanked. The woman seemed to have no fear for her safety but instead was determined to anchor the defenses of an area where the human command party had holed up. The Spartan had to grudgingly admit the irritating woman was doing well. His reflections were interrupted by a fresh batch of Covenant surging down from the upper levels. It was obvious the entire structure was breached. Mike lobbed a grenade onto the platform the pack of invaders travelled and watched with satisfaction it go off shredding the mixed party and halting their advance. A chain reaction of explosions was set off when two Grunts had their methane tanks explode adding more confusion to the attackers. Mike then settled down to systematically eliminating the threat to this area of the building.

Natalia had held her position despite the fear that threatened to overwhelm her. Heart beating so hard she thought it would explode the woman tried to remember her training and more importantly what Mike had taught her. The fight seemed to be lulling in intensity and she wondered why. Then she saw Mike and Kat systematically moving through the room adding their firepower to the other Spartans and soldiers who now had the upper hand. She couldn't help but admire their precise movement and fearless efforts. Seeing that the command group now seemed to be safe and wanting to help the woman rediscovered her aggression and dashed across the open to engage a group of Grunts.

"Hey, watch yourself!" Kat yelled as Natalia crossed her line of fire.

Natalia skidded to a halt, rattled by the fact she'd missed the other Spartan lining up a shot. Suddenly unsure again, she stood in the open becoming an easy target for a Jackal marksman up above. Three shards from the creature's Needle Rifle connected draining her armor's shield. The alarm claxon sounded a warning shaking Natalia out of her indecision. She moved just as another three round burst of the crystalline shards hummed in towards her. The first one glanced off her armor but the impact exploded, ripping through the protective shoulder plate and searing her flesh. Natalia screamed in pain and surprise but reflexively kept moving so the other two rounds passed her by. The woman dove into cover, tears filling her eyes making it impossible for her to see. A sense of failure overwhelmed her and Natalia Misriah, who'd never failed at anything in her life, prepared to die feeling overwhelming futility.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**1357 hrs. July 26, 2552, Sword Base, ****Babd Catha Ice Shelf, ****Eposz****, ****Planet Reach**

The death stroke never came for Natalia Misriah, fate, or a higher force that had another purpose for her, intervened. A Jackal sniper prepping to finish the vulnerable woman off was instead hit by a stray plasma round from a retreating Grunt that went through the small opening in its shield taking its head off. Another pair of Jackals moving in for the easy kill were shredded from behind by Mike who then moved off and grappled with a roaring Elite. Natalia would live to fight another day.

It took less than ten more minutes for the UNSC forces to clear the Atrium area and re-establish some form of perimeter. Freed up soldiers and Marines poured in to shore up the defenses allowing those involved in the fight to have a bit of a breather.

Natalia winced as the pain from the Needler round lanced through her shoulder. She kicked herself for getting wounded in this way. She knew she shouldn't have exposed herself that way, nor let her shields get drained. In truth she was lucky it was only a glancing blow. The MJOLNIR armor had helped but a more direct shot would have likely killed her.

"Hey, rich girl," Kat yelled in frustration. "You cross my line again I'll shoot you myself. If you can't get with the program then do us all a favor and get out."

"Come on Kat, that's not fair," Mike interjected stepping in. "She's doing her best."

"Well it's not good enough," Spartan Two spat back. "Stop babying her and let her get in the fight." Shaking her head in disgust Kat slammed her helmet back onto her head and carried on with the mission.

Mike wasn't sure what to do. He did notice the damaged armor from the Needler round on Natalia's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine," Natalia lied. Tears welling up in her eyes from the pain of her wound and Kat's verbal assault.

"You're wounded. Here let me look at it," Mike said definitively. "We don't want this to get infected."

Natalia had no strength to argue or resist. She was finished. She'd done her best and failed. She'd let everyone down, especially Mike who'd given her a chance. The concern he was showing was all the more condemning.

Deftly removing the damaged shoulder plate Mike examined the wound with an expert eye. Taking a canister of Biofoam medical spray he treated the nasty burn.

"This should keep you until we get a chance to get you some proper first aid and have your armor repaired." Mike paused for a moment, as if weighing something. "Good job out there," he added quietly.

"Thanks," Natalia answered, embarrassed that he felt the need to try to encourage her.

"I mean it," the soft-spoken Spartan commented sincerely. "I watched you take out that Elite going for the command group. That was good work. You're picking things up quickly." He let the words sink in then switched to mentor. "One thing though, when your shields drain and the alarm goes off, fall back and let it regenerate. Let the kit do the work it was designed for. You don't have to prove anything by rushing forward and making yourself vulnerable, okay?" Mike could see the look of appreciation in Natalia's face but also pain from more than her wound. "Don't let Kat get to you," he guessed correctly. "We're all pretty stressed right now. You're not slowing us down."

"Why are you doing this?" Natalia suddenly asked, all cool pretenses gone. Finally broken, the floodgate opened and tears began to stream down her attractive face.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked in genuine confusion.

"Why are you trying to help me? You know I'm no soldier and I sure as hell don't deserve to be with Noble Team," Natalia confessed, trying hard not to start sobbing but failing. "Why are you doing it?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Mike declared bluntly, removing his helmet so she could see the look of sincere concern on his hard face.

"Even spoiled little rich girls?" Natalia shot back bitterly.

"Especially spoiled little rich girls," Mike countered a twinkle lighting up his grey eyes which didn't seem so hard suddenly.

Natalia could see this was not empty platitude. He really meant it. "Why? I don't think I do."

"Legacy," Mike declared, voice dropping to barely a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Suddenly Natalia and Mike were the only two people on the planet and a war was not raging around them. The pain was gone not from the Biofoam taking effect but rather the captivating words she was hearing.

"Everyone deserves the right to be judged on their own merits and by what they do, not by their family's past," Mike stated with conviction. "I've seen you ask for help and seek to improve your skills. That counts more than results. Keep at it, the others will see it too."

"Thank you." Natalia could hardly breathe her head swimming at the genuineness of the comment from the hardened combat veteran, from the Lone Wolf. Reflexively, she put her hand on his arm and he didn't recoil. Instead he smiled slightly.

Another explosion not only rocked the building but broke the magic of the moment between the two. There was still a battle raging.

"Six, head upstairs and assist Emile," Carter ordered." Jorge, make sure he gets there."

"Depend on it," Jorge acknowledged and moved out towards the ramp going to the upper levels.

"We'll cover you from down here. Misriah, you go with Six," Noble One ordered.

Putting his helmet back on Mike signaled their conversation was over. Nothing more needed to be said. "Come on Natalia, let's get back in the show," he declared. "By the way, I like the wasp tattoo on your shoulder."

Natalia. He'd called her Natalia. It was a start. She no longer cared that Commander Carter had sent her away. She was with him, with Mike. They were together again, a team. And he'd called her Natalia. That single sentence meant more to her then all the flowery words she'd heard from MacKenzie over the past year or the many others men had been telling her for years. He'd called her by her name. Her heart soared. He also liked her tattoo.

Stinger.

The word that shot into her mind as she followed Noble Six back into battle echoed condemnation. She'd wanted to 'sting' him like so many other men when they'd met but his armor was too thick. He wasn't interested and that made her want him more. Was this a game? Did she desire him because he was the first to not fall for her? No, it had gone beyond that. It was obvious he didn't like her, he may even despise her, but yet he would help her, defend her against the attack of his old friend, bind her wound. He wanted nothing from her but to help her get better. No one had ever done that before.

That meant something.

A feeling was percolating deep inside, welling up from the depths of her being. Overpowering embarrassment, fear, anger, everything else she was feeling, it sucked them all into the vortex of the light emanating from deep within. Was it love? She thought it was and suddenly she felt the light break forth and shine. Stinger was gone, at least where Mike Nantz was concerned

Mike looked back to see Natalia trailing behind him though he could have spotted her on his HUD's IFF. Moving quickly to catch up to Jorge who'd gathered a group of soldiers and was pushing to the upper level to link up with Emile something bothered him. The way Natalia had looked at him, the idea of her hand resting on his arm even though he couldn't feel it through the armor. All these things disturbed him. He had little experience with women, especially ones like Natalia Misriah. She'd been an irritant and now he found himself thinking of her differently. The way she looked at him made him nervous, something he hadn't been in ten years yet he liked the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when she did. _This is crazy, I don't have time for this,_ he thought to himself. Still, maybe there was something….

A series of Needler rounds exploded into the bulkhead above him as a half-dozen Grunts pushed down a perpendicular corridor to cut him off from the others. Just like that, the thought was gone.

Leading with a grenade the force scattered the skittish creatures. The three members of Noble Team methodically moved higher up the building.

Another explosion shook the building causing even the Covenant attackers to pause in fear of the place collapsing.

"Corvette's gonna tear this base apart. What's the situation, Noble?" Sword Control called out urgently on the general comm channel.

"Can't do this on my own! Need another Spartan up here!" Emile's urgent plea added to the tension of the situation.

"Six, get to the top floor and assist Emile," Carter demanded from his covering position below. "You got to pick up the pace."

Despite the orders and the call for help the trio was doing their best to make it to the top floor but heavy resistance slowed their pace. When they'd clear an area fresh opponents would materialize to slow them down. Mike led the way and around every corner he needed to slow and probe forward. Once discovering what they faced Mike would lead with a grenade while Jorge swept the area with his heavy machine gun. Even Natalia kept pace, covering the flanks of the pair and allowing them to focus on moving while a group of UNSC soldiers followed in their wake to clean up anything that had been missed.

As the trio got into a comfortable rhythm of fire and movement they were able to pick up their pace then suddenly they'd made it to the top. The upper floor of the building had been pummeled and lay in ruins. Going through a doorway a massive hole was in the place of where the roof and wall had once been. Prominent in the foreground was the Covenant Corvette but the huge warship was supported by an escort of single-seat Banshee fighters that flitted about the sky.

"About time," Emile grunted as he skirmished with some Covenant forces lodged on the upper floor.

Quickly gathering the small force that had arrived around him, Mike gave everyone their orders while Emile provided cover. "We need to clear the skies of those escorts so our Longswords can launch. Find rockets, anything to knock them out. The rest provide cover. We have to get rid of that Corvette or this base is screwed. Go." Then he looked at Natalia. Even though both were behind visors she could feel his eyes boring into hers. "Natalia, you cover the back door. Nothing that isn't human gets up here. Keep us clear to do what we need to do up here. I'm counting in you. Got it?"

Natalia vigorously nodded her head in agreement. Changing magazines and picking up some grenades she moved into position to defend her teammates. "I won't let you down Mike," she whispered.

Their moment of respite was just that, a moment. A Phantom Dropship hovered over the area and landed more troops to attack the base defenders including a pair of Elites. Between the ground fire and that coming from the sky the air was lit up with deadly ordinance. The human forces were able to knock down a couple of Banshees before the Covenant seemed to figure out their strategy. So not only did they have to fight the ground forces but now the strafing fighters. Mike worked with Emile and Jorge to try to keep the platform clear so the Army troopers could try to shoot down the Covenant air assets. Every time though they would clear the destroyed upper floor more invaders would be dropped in to tangle with them and so the battle still hung in the balance.

"We need to drive those Phantoms off," Mike yelled at the rocket launcher armed soldiers. "Keep them clear so we can take out the Banshees."

While the other members of Noble Team fought desperately to establish control and strike out at the Corvette Natalia was hard pressed in her own right. Coming from below at least a dozen Covenant forces tried to surge past her. Fighting off growing panic she fired and moved around the access point not allowing any of her opponents to focus their fire on her. She was learning just how many hits her armor could take before she needed to pull back so got into a good rhythm of pushing forward and pulling back. Several times she was in such close quarters her survival instinct screamed to her to pull back. Each time she heard his voice say _I'm counting on you_ then whispered in return to herself, "I won't let you down Mike," and continued to fight. The reasons for her being there, the woman's past legacy, were all forgotten. She was there as part of the defense and that was all there was to it. She would do her part.

And she did.

The outmatched ONI officer's stubborn efforts to hold the rear allowed the three other members of Noble Team and the soldiers there in support to focus on eliminating the ground forces on the upper level. Dropping the last of the Covenant air screen, the UNSC fighters were finally able to launch.

"Yeah, clear," Emile called out jubilantly. That's the way we get it done Spartan! Clear."

"Noble Team, Longswords are inbound and ready to push. Orbital defense is standing by to take the shot," Sword Control reported with a sense of relief.

Two sweep-winged Longsword interceptor/strike fighters knifed towards the Corvette, which seemed to sense danger so started to pull away, breaking off the attack. The smaller bat-like fighters were able to make up the gap quickly but just as they were about to engage the pair broke formation and pulled out of their attack vector to the dismay of the UNSC troops watching from the ruined upper floor of the ONI building.

"What the….," Emile began in disgust.

Then a splitting sound filled the air as a MAC round ripped through the air suddenly penetrating the corvette from above. It seemed someone had finally decided it was okay to use the orbital defense platforms to assist in repelling this attack.

The Covenant vessel's engines flickered then it began to lose altitude. Finally a series of explosions from within the corvette caused it to nosedive then crash into a lake puncturing the clearing day. As if in concert, the heat of the summer sun burned off the morning fog.

Mike took a deep breath allowing himself to relax for a moment. He did a quick shoulder check and saw Natalia behind him, as now seemed to be her place, 'on his six'. He began to realize he was starting to assume this and even count on her.

Something moved out of the shadows and Mike snapped into a defensive position but it was only Jorge ambling over.

"Beautiful, ain't it? Someone should take a picture," Jorge commented. Mike wasn't sure if he meant the downed corvette or the rugged terrain of the man's home planet. "Nice work, by the way," the big Spartan II added sincerely.

"I aim to please," Mike replied with a chuckle, allowing himself an instant of levity. It looked like they were going to live another day, all of them, which made him happy.

Then Jorge fixed Natalia with a penetrating look. "You too, good job out there today."

"Thank you," the woman responded, her heart soaring at the acknowledgement. Things seemed finally to be changing for her.

"Five, Six... Get down to the science wing," Commander Carter cut in on the team channel, "Doctor Halsey wants a debrief, and Command's saying we're all hers."

"Repeat? Sounded like you said Halsey," Jorge responded with a sense of apprehension.

"I did," Carter confirmed.

"Copy that, on our way," Jorge acknowledged then looked at Mike who was intently looking at the Spartan II. "Don't need Command to tell me... Been all hers half my life."

"You okay?" Mike asked.

"I'm fine. I guess there's some things you just can't get away from," Jorge commented sadly. "But then you likely know about that, don't you?"

Mike did, intimately. Then it hit him: Halsey. The creator of the Spartan II program, the one who he'd heard invented the process of body modification. A genius, or a madwoman, depending on who you asked. She was here on Reach. That surprised him but it shouldn't. She was a shadowy figure who seemed to come and go as she pleased and he was about to meet her.

"What you guys waiting for?" Emile came up to the group. "We got the invitation lets go see how the good doctor is going to make our lives more complicated."

As the group walked back into the base from the balcony the Covenant corvette sunk into the lake mirroring the sinking feeling of more than just Jorge.

It was a short trip for the Spartans and Natalia to the science wing. The rest of Noble Team was already there by the time they arrived while the venerable Dr. Catherine Halsey was standing behind a transparent shield door with aggressive body language and a perturbed look on her attractive, but hard, face.

"I requested your assistance, Commander, and do not need a report on events that occur on my own doorstep," she berated the leader of Noble Team. "What I do require is a detailed account of your previous engagement—"

Dr. Halsey paused in mid-sentence as she noticed the new arrivals to the room. Looking at Natalia her sour expression opened into a wide smile. "Ms. Misriah. I'd heard you were on Reach. It's been a while. How is your father?"

Emile snorted and said something inaudible under his breath in response. Kat chuckled in response.

"Fine ma'am," Natalia offered stiffly, aware the others on Noble noticed the particular attention.

"How do you like serving with Noble Team after your time at ONI High Command?"

"It's an honor ma'am," Natalia responded genuinely.

Dr. Halsey raised an eyebrow at the strength of the answer then turned her attention towards the Spartan II, HER Spartan II as she thought. "Jorge. It's been too long."

"Ma'am," he replied stiffly.

"What have you done with my armor?" she chided him like a naughty child.

"Just some...additions I've made," Jorge answered her uncomfortably.

"Indeed," Dr. Halsey responded, seemingly amused by the conversation. Then done with that, she returned her full attention to Commander Carter. "Visegrád Relay. Its data center was home to one of my xeno-archaeologists, Professor Laszlo Sorvad. Perhaps you could shed some light on his death."

The Noble Team leader wondered where the aggressive doctor was going with this line of questioning. "If he was a civilian male in his mid-sixties, he died with a Covenant Energy Sword through his abdomen," he reported.

"Elites, then," Dr. Halsey commented.

"They engaged us as well," Jorge offered, trying to diminish some of the growing tension. "It was just, uh, just after we found your scientist's daughter, ma'am. She was hiding in the-"

"Irrelevant," Dr. Halsey cut him off. "The Elites. Tell me more about them."

"Three. Zealot class," Jorge reported, unphased by the treatment. "One got by us. The leader, from the looks of him."

"Zealots? You're certain?" the doctor confirmed.

"Their armor configuration matched," Jorge added.

"Shield strength, too," Mike added, joining the conversation.

"I gave the order not to pursue. Our primary objective was to get the station's relay back online," Carter stated, trying to regain control of the interaction with the pushy woman.

"Your primary objective? Commander, are you a puppet or a Spartan?" Dr. Halsey shot back.

The rest of Noble started at the blunt statement to their leader.

"Ma'am?" Commander Carter asked, a bit dumbfounded.

Perhaps realizing she'd gone too far the aggressive scientist explained: "There are those at ONI, myself included, who believe the Covenant dispatch Elite advance teams to hunt down artifacts of value to their religion. Survivor accounts suggest such teams are small, nimble, and almost always Zealot-class. No doubt they came to the station for the abundance of ONI excavation data stored there. And you let them get away."

"Data retrieval was not a command directive," Noble's leader explained. "Even had we known, we had other, more urgent matters to attend to."

"Like warning the planet," Kat cut in, tired of the attitude of the older woman.

"Professor Sorvad's final entry in his field notes made reference to 'a latchkey discovery'," Halsey ignored her. "Latchkey... Not a word he would use lightly. So let's hope that the data module your Lieutenant Commander stole contains it," the woman shifted her steely gaze towards Kat.

"Kat?" Carter asked in confusion.

"Before you ask, I was alerted the moment you attempted to access its contents. As I am with any unauthorized tap," Dr. Halsey declared smugly then held her hand out for Noble Two to hand it over.

Kat walked over a bit sheepishly at being caught and placed the data module in a container in the shield door.

"That data is classified Tier One... I could send you to the brig for interfering with my work," Dr. Halsey stated to Kat as she pulled the container towards herself and into the secure room retrieving the module she sought.

"Maybe you'd like to join her," Commander Carter declared coldly.

"...I'm sorry?" Dr. Halsey asked, as if finally caught off guard.

"We're currently under emergency planetary directive, WINTER CONTINGENCY," the Noble Team leader stated. "I'm sure you're familiar with the punishment for civilian interference with a Spartan deployment."

"Are you threatening me, Commander?" Dr. Halsey shot back angrily.

"Just making a reading suggestion, ma'am," Carter replied, voice even. Then looking to the team he ordered, "Let's move, Noble Team."

Jorge hesitated, unsure what to do and uncomfortable with how things were ending between the two sides he cared deeply about. "Ma'am?"

Uninterested in the Spartan's turmoil, engrossed instead in the data module she replied absently, "That... will be all, Jorge."

Moving out to ensure the base was secure Kat walked past Natalia brushing her aside. "Hey, when are you and the doctor going to get together for tea?" the Spartan chided the woman.

Emile laughed at the comment while Mike stayed silent. Natalia felt as if all the gains she'd made that day were lost in the last five minutes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**1035 hrs, August 1, 2552, New York City, Earth**

"Sir…Mr. Misriah!"

The executive assistant to the CEO of Misriah Armory winced at the glare he received by interrupting the businessman's teleconference.

"I told you not to interrupt me Felstead," Spanner Misriah barked, waving his hand for the video screen to mute.

"I know that sir but this is urgent."

"What is it?" the powerful executive asked hesitantly, knowing his EA to not be one to brook his anger lightly.

"We've intercepted a communications to Naval Headquarters sir. Planet Reach is under attack by the Covenant."

Misriah's blood went cold. "Impossible," he sputtered. "They couldn't have found the planet."

"They have and are apparently there in force. At least one Supercarrier has been reported. A battle group is being dispatched to come to their defense but it doesn't look good."

"Nicolo, can you confirm this?" Misriah demanded.

The opaque image of an Italian gentleman dressed in Renaissance clothing appeared, hovering over the business executive's desk.

"Well?" the man demanded testily to the Artificial Intelligence who floated with pursed lips and a look of concentration.

"Yes, what Eric says is true," the Smart AI confirmed the assistant's report in an Italian accent, "and the assessment is accurate as well," it added.

The fact that Spanner Misriah had an AI, and a highly rare Smart AI, spoke not only to his wealth but influence as well. While AI's ran many of the functionality of the UNSC and industry in general a 'smart' version was quite unique. Having no limitations in their dynamic memory-processor matrix, Smart AI's could not only be taught a vast wealth of information, but could learn and comprehend from their surroundings as opposed to their "dumb" cousins who could only learn one topic. Nicolo was Spanner Misriah's personal AI, formed in the personality of the 16th century philosopher Machiavelli, and possessing tremendous power to gather and assess information.

"Why did I have to find out from him and not you?" Misriah questioned testily.

"Because, my lord, I was not looking for it and ONI and UNSC's AI's blocked out the information," Nicolo responded huffily. "I had to find my data from Reach itself. This is information, after all, the rulers do not want in public hands. The peasants need not know this."

"I knew there was something going on there," MacKenzie Wainwright interjected into the conversation, voice filled with fear. "What are we going to do? Tali's on Reach. That's why I haven't been able to get ahold of her for days," her would-be boyfriend declared.

"I am aware of that MacKenzie," Misriah shot back testily. The handsome young executive opened his mouth to speak, fear growing. "Shut up and give me a moment to think about this." Spanner Misriah sighed heavily in frustration, already weighing his options and not needing to be reminded by the whiny executive.

The owner of Misriah Armory, which produced everything from assault rifles to Pelican dropships, had benefited from the war effort. The major supplier of arms and ammunition to the UNSC had grown rich and powerful to the point where he could not only afford but demand his own AI. Nicolo was testament to the influence of Spanner Misriah. The fact his beloved only child was in the middle of an unexpected alien invasion on a planet over ten light years away though upsetting did not leave him without options. He hadn't built an empire and become one of the most powerful men on earth by sitting back and waiting

"Get me Admiral Parangosky, now," Misriah demanded.

In less than two minutes the business executive had the assistant to the commander of Operational Naval Intelligence, headquartered in Sydney Australia, on the screen, verification to the power he did have.

"Golf 51979 wants to speak to you Ma'am," Captain Serin Osman reported to Margaret Parangosky, CINCONI.

The elderly woman with sharp features pursed her lips in surprise but already her razor sharp mind was calculating what she could get in return anticipating what the man was calling about.

"Very well, Serin, but do please get me a cup of coffee first," the most powerful woman in humanity requested pleasantly. "Jamaican Black."

Several minutes later the holoscreen on the admiral's desk switched to the image of an annoyed Spanner Misriah standing behind his desk with clenched fists at having to wait.

"Yes Mr. Misriah, what can I do for you?" the elderly woman asked pleasantly but her eyes betraying a hint of annoyance.

"Reach is under attack."

"I'm well aware of that but how do you know?" Parangosky shot back accusingly.

"I have my sources," Misriah evaded. "Listen, that's not important. My daughter's on that planet."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" the admiral confirmed, raising her eyes in feigned surprise. Margaret Parangosky knew what all of her people were doing and Natalia Misriah was thought of as a key asset, though in a different light then the aggressive young woman and her ambitious father thought. "You arranged for her to be attached to Noble Team. To get some combat experience, wasn't it? Well, it appears as if she'll get plenty," the intimidating woman declared without a note of sympathy.

Misriah ignored the dig. "Listen, I want her off that planet and back here on Earth and I want it now."

"Sir, with all due respect," she said politely, "you know as well as I do that interfering in operational matters is not allowed and in combat situations is extremely difficult."

"Cut the crap Margaret," Misriah shot back. "You have the power and the ability to do this. I want it done."

"Mr. Misriah, I hope you realize Winter Contingency is in place on Reach right now. You're treading on dangerous ground."

"I'm not worried about that," Misriah brushed off the highest state of UNSC operational priority levels that had an explicit directive against civilian interference. "Just get my daughter off that planet."

"It's not that simple, even for me, especially in a real-time combat situation," Parangosky let the words hang, enjoying the obvious growing distress of the powerful man.

"Please, can't you do something for her?" Misriah asked, all the bluster out of his voice.

If I do this for you…,"

"I understand the implications Admiral," Misriah confirmed quietly in desperation. "Just do it, please."

Both knew the implicit cost of the declaration and who now held power in their relationship. Though a war was raging on Reach and in other parts of the galaxy, the balance of another epic struggle had just shifted.

_You owe me big for this one_, the admiral thought to herself, _and I will collect. _"Very well Mr. Misriah. I'll take care of it."

The holoscreen went dark as the businessman signed off.

"Captain Osman, what is the closest Prowler available to undertake this mission?" she asked her aide for the location of an ONI stealth vessel, knowing the answer already.

"The Dusk, ma'am," the brown haired protégé of Parangosky reported.

"Black Box."

"Here Admiral." The ONI 'Smart' Artificial Intelligence materialized beside the director. Projecting itself as a featureless box, the AI waited for the order it had already anticipated.

"Send a flash message to Captain Iglesias to reroute and to pick up Misriah's little princess. Send also a message to our people on Reach to arrange to get her to an extraction point."

"Already done Admiral. UNSC Dusk confirms receipt and is already calculating a slip to take them there," Black Box stated efficiently.

"Excellent," Parangosky responded, satisfied some good would be accomplished from the irritation of having to reroute one of her stealth vessels and interfere in ongoing operations on Reach. No, this was going to be a big credit in her account from now on.

"Ma'am," Captain Osman asked hesitantly, "what about Dr. Halsey? Should she be advised of the evac opportunity?"

"No," the Admiral answered with a gleam in her eyes, "we wouldn't want to interrupt the good doctor's work."

**1130hrs August 1, 2552, Camp Independence, Highland Mountains, Planet Reach**

After Sword Base had been secured by the humans the Covenant for some reason shifted their interest elsewhere. Noble Team spent the day there and with no serious threat other than some skirmishing the valuable assets had been moved.

And move they did.

For the next week the team had skipped all over the Highland Mountains region playing cat-and-mouse games with Elite Zealots who seemed very interested in the territory and several of the UNSC stations, including Castle Base in the region

Today the team was back in their base at Camp Independence. Located inside a large cavern in the shadow of a cliff in one of the many mountains dominating the area they had the opportunity to truly rest for a few hours, something that was becoming a scarcer commodity as the Covenant exerted growing control on the planet. With two Gauss Cannons protecting the main entrance to the location and a strong guard it was a place of respite.

Natalia sat down on a crate of supplies. Taking her helmet off the woman shook out her hair and looked up at the thick steel I-beams reinforcing the rock ceiling. Florescent lights illuminated the area. The secure facility had already been designated as a fallback position for Reach's HIGHCOM. No one hoped it would come to that but the signs of preparation for a growing reality were evident by the activities going on around the Spartan to strengthen the defenses.

After the fight for Sword Base a week earlier Jorge had started to treat Natalia better and Commander Carter would actually use her in combat. That being said, it was always in a support or defensive role and generally out of the center of action. Natalia wasn't sure if this was because he couldn't dump her anywhere else or based on a realistic estimate of her combat potential. Regardless, she was happy to be contributing. As for the rest of the team, Jun seemed indifferent but then the quiet sniper didn't share much. Kat and Emile, on the other hand, were still openly hostile towards her and often made her the butt of their jokes.

Then there was Mike.

She couldn't figure him out. At times he seemed to warm to her, even showing kindness. He definitely was helping her improve as a soldier, that was evident. But then other times he was cold and detached, like he had nothing but contempt for her. He'd look at her with his rock-like grey eyes as if he could see right through her. She'd always been able to read men quickly, to figure them out to get whatever she'd wanted. Not with this one. Everything he'd done had been freely given and he'd gotten nothing in return. That simultaneously bothered and exhilarated her. During some free time in the past week she'd pulled out her datapad and read some of MacKenzie's correspondence. The interplanetary communications relay was down so he couldn't send more messages. She wondered if that had him worried. Probably. But she didn't care. His messages were all self-serving with his own end in mind. Yes, they were full of compliments and praise for her. The newest spoke glowingly of how she was likely soaring in her assignment on Reach. That had caused her to laugh out loud with absolutely no mirth. It was the furthered from the truth and reminded her once again that this man, despite all his advantages, had no clue and really didn't want one.

No, Mike was different, unlike any man she'd ever met. Then the musing woman reminded herself he wasn't a man, he was a Spartan. But what did that mean? Sure, his body had been changed but what about his mind? What about his hopes and dreams? She was increasingly sure that behind the armor, the enhancements and the reputation Mike was all man and that was drawing her to him like gravity.

"I'm telling you, Covvies don't do this," Emile insisted as he cleaned his M45 Tactical shotgun. "They come in and glass the place. This ain't their style. They're looking for something."

"This is Reach. It's different," Jorge insisted.

"Yea, any different from Harvest or any of the other planets?" the volatile Spartan shot back.

"What does it matter? Glass or conquer you know once they show up in force we're screwed," Kat interjected fatalistically.

"Not here though," Jorge continued doggedly. "We've got the orbital MACs plus the biggest fleet. We can win this."

"As if," Kat snorted.

What do you think ONI-girl?" Emile asked Natalia.

"Well...I…we have looked at some scenarios pertaining to Winter Contingency, but, I mean…" she stammered caught off guard. In her eagerness to actually contribute something to the team her mind blanked.

It didn't matter.

The look of mirth on Emile's face and the derisive snort from Kat showed Natalia they weren't looking for her input but rather saw another opportunity to make her look foolish. And yet again she walked into it. Her face reddened in embarrassment. Looking away she saw Mike's jaw clench as he watched the scene but remained silent.

Commander Carter walked into the middle of the conversation eyeing it critically. "Listen up. We got a group of hingeheads poking around about ten clicks from Castle. They're supported and moving in the wrong direction. We're going to go and intercept. Saddle up!"

Ten minutes later Noble Team travelled by Falcon to the area of the reported contact. Dancing over the terrain the helicopters stayed low moving at full throttle. Satellite imagery had shown the Covenant party had stopped and seemed to be setting up a base of sorts near the critical structure.

Commander Carter had the Falcons drop them about two kilometers from the enemy position so as best to try to catch the invaders off guard. They'd hump it the rest of the way and try to get the jump on them. The team exited their transport in a defensive position as the Falcons soared back into the air and cleared the landing grid. This was the time they were most vulnerable to attack. Despite their IFF's showing nothing the Spartans had learned to not rely 100% on technology. While the waddling Grunts could be heard a mile away and Jackals were notoriously stealthy they still could be picked up. But they'd found out the Elites often had some form of cloaking device that allowed them to not only make themselves invisible but also not appear on their tracking devices.

Fortunately the only thing greeting them were some of the flightless Moa's indigenous to the planet grazing the peaceful meadow they landed in and some flying insects buzzing obliviously around.

"Three, scout ahead and get eyes on our target. I'm setting a marker for you," Carter ordered Jun as a waypoint popped up on his HUD.

"Roger that," the quiet sniper responded and trotted off noiselessly into a copse of evergreen trees, a testimony to his ability to move easelessly in bulky armor.

Giving him a head start the rest of the team moved slowly to cut the distance from their landing point to objective.

"This is Three, I'm in position," Jun whispered over the comms.

Commander Carter gave a hand signal for the rest to halt. "What have you got?" he asked.

"Covenant has set up some sort of operation here…," the sniper paused as if assessing the situation. "I see four Zealots but also at least a half-dozen minor Elites. They'd got at least a half-company of Grunts."

"Armor?"

"Negative. Three Ghosts, that's it, plus what looks like excavation equipment. I'm establishing a live feed so you can see the lay of the land."

"Roger that." Carter viewed the set-up through his HUD and devised a plan. "Okay Three, we're moving into position. Hold and engage as opportunities arise when we move in." Then turning to the remainder of the squad he gave his orders. "Emile, straight up and assault the camp. Get those Elites. Jorge, you establish a fire base and also look after those Ghosts. Kat, you and I go right flank. Six, you and Misriah go left. When you're in position set your status light to green and then we go. Questions?"

There didn't need to be any.

"Okay, let's move."

Irritation well up anew within Mike as he carefully picked his route of advance. Once again he'd been effectively excluded from Noble Team. He'd have been okay with that. He still had a strong pull to work alone but not only couldn't he do that, or work with the other professional Spartans he was stuck with Natalia. It was like going into combat with a broken leg. Grudgingly he admitted she had picked up a lot, and he did have a degree of compassion for the woman who was trying hard to contribute but this was getting ridiculous.

For Natalia, she'd been watching Mike now long enough she could read his body language despite the MJOLINIR armor he wore. Mike was irritated again. This seemed like a frequent theme. His declaration that 'even spoiled little rich girls deserved a second chance' had stuck with her and given her a great hope. She'd hoped this would lead to a deepening of their relationship. But it didn't. He still treated her with polite indifference, like a mentally-challenged child. That burned her. Men flocked to her, would do anything for her, and yet this man would barely give her the time of day. But then he wasn't any other man, he was a Spartan, he was the Lone Wolf. More frustrating for her was that this made him the more desirable.

_Tali, you gotta shake this_, she chided herself, _you're developing a crush on this guy in the middle of combat. You need to focus or you're going to get yourself killed_. Then a chilling thought struck her: …_or worse, him._

Noble Team arrived in their designated positions and green status lights winked in the HUDs. It was time to move. It appeared the Covenant forces were unaware of the advancing UNSC party, focused instead on the digging operation they'd begun. Grunts waddled around doing the manual labor while the Elites stood around watching. Best still was the nimble Ghost vehicles stood empty and switched off.

"Go, go, go!" Carter ordered over the comms and Noble Team leapt into action.

Aggressively sweeping in the Spartans caught the Covenant forces off guard. Guns blazing and grenades flying the exploration party didn't stand a chance. In less than two minutes half the Grunts were down and four Elites lay in the grassy field dead while a thin trail of cloud from the destroyed Ghosts lazily drifted in the air.

With Jorge anchoring the position Emile and Jun sweep the perimeter for other enemy or remnant. The scattered force had run off into the woods surrounding the area. The 'all clear' signal sent, the team was able to relax.

Examining the equipment the Covenant party had left behind Emile gave one of the pieces a frustrated kick. "What the heck are they doing here?"

"I don't know," Kat responded, running a scan of the machinery with her datapad while capturing images. "Digging for something."

"But for what?" Noble Four exclaimed. "You think this has to do with what Halsey was talking about back at Sword Base? Some sort of search for artifacts?"

"It doesn't matter," Commander Carter interjected. "That's not our job to figure this crap out. We blow the machinery up then prep for extraction."

Using explosives they'd brought along for the task in short order the Covenant equipment was destroyed.

"Charlie One and Charlie Two, be advised we are ready for extraction on this position, over," Carter called to their Falcon transports.

"Roger that, we're ten minutes out," the pilot of the lead helicopter responded.

Satisfied with the success of their mission and with nothing else to do the team had the opportunity to relax. It was a gorgeous summer day and the air in the highlands though warm was not humid but instead intoxicatingly fresh. Stripping off their helmets the Spartans enjoyed being able to suck in non-filtered air.

"Hey, look what I found," Kat called out, holding a bunch of wild blueberries she'd found hanging thick from a series of vines nearby. She threw a bunch to Mike and another to Emile who eagerly dug into the delicious fruit.

Instead of joining them Mike put the bunch into his satchel and commented, "Shouldn't we mount a guard until our transport arrives?"

Carter shrugged nonchalantly, satisfied with how the mission had gone. "Suit yourself. Why don't you and Misriah cover it?"

Kat gave Mike a wink while Emile chuckled. So he was part of the team but not part of the team. Fine, he could live with that. Natalia? Well, she was a different story all together.

"Cover the west approach," Mike ordered the woman, "I'll take the east." Then he stomped off in a foul mood.

Helmets off, the rest of the Spartans enjoyed the intoxicating fresh air of the highlands region instead of the processed air they normally experienced. The day was warm and sunny with a light breeze. For that moment it seemed the war had left Reach. Mike, idly searching the area with his MA37 on his shoulder had his helmet off as well, still irritated by the circumstances. Only Natalia had put hers back on.

Though alert the woman allowed her mind to drift. Despite the continued chiding of some of the Spartans on Noble Team she now felt comfortable in this environment. She'd fought well again in this engagement and again held her own. She now was also comfortable in a support role, looking to fill gaps as they came. She didn't need to be out front and knew she didn't have the skill or ability. In the past that would have bothered her, seeing it as some form of competition, but now she was happy to be part of a team. It seemed as if she were growing up.

Mike spat into the grass. He'd tried to fit into the team and was certainly contributing to their overall mission, but still felt at arms-length. Was it him or because he was helping Natalia? He didn't get it. He'd fought his 'lone wolf' instinct and reputation to try to become a team player and it seemed to have been rejected.

Confusion welled up in the young man. Despite his years of combat he was still only 22 years old. He looked at Natalia with a mixture of frustration and envy. He'd been thrust into combat as a child and never had a chance to really live so never had the chance to experience fully the rest of life, to dream, to plan, to explore, to love…

Mike dwelled on the last thought while continuing to look at Natalia. Could he love a headstrong woman like that? She was certainly attractive enough, but it took more than that. Kat was his friend, like a sister to him. No, he couldn't love her like that. There'd been another: Melanie. Mel had been with him at Camp Curahee. She'd been with the others on Operation Torpedo and like the others hadn't come back. But by that point he'd already been sent off, yet the feelings between the two had remained. Despite their physical size they were still teenagers with teenage emotions. It had been confusing but it had felt good.

After he'd received the word Mel was gone he'd put those feelings away into the deepest recesses of his soul and double locked the door. The pain had been too great. It seemed everyone he felt something for died. Then, looking at Natalia Misriah an old, long dormant spark seemed to be lit.

Mike shook his head, as if trying to shake the feeling out his ear and tried to concentrate on what he was doing.

Natalia saw a red blip come up just on the outside of her HUD for a moment then it was gone. Had she been seeing things? She wasn't sure. The woman opened her mouth to call out an alarm then paused. If it was nothing she'd again look foolish and be embarrassed for another time. She didn't want that. Mike wasn't moving, he hadn't reacted. Then she realized he didn't have his helmet on, none of them did. Only she had her IFF activated. She decided the safety of the team, of Mike, was more important than her dignity.

"Contact!" she called over the team channel, "Contacts inbound and imminent."

The Spartans of Noble Team reacted instantly, grabbing gear and moving from the exposed area. It was just in time too for at the same time as they moved Natalia's HUD lit up with red contacts and the menacing sound of an inbound plasma mortar round could be heard. The deadly blob of energy hissed in impacting on the spot the rest of Noble Team had been hanging around less than a minute earlier.

"Shift position," Carter called, "they've got this place zeroed!"

Jorge laid down covering fire on a wide arc to allow the rest of Noble Team to regroup. A horde of Grunts came screaming out of the woods while Beam Rifle fire from hidden Jackals punctured the summer air.

"Got to counter this," Carter called out to the team, "force them offline so we can hold this spot."

Then two more plasma mortar rounds dropped in and the high-pitched swoop of Banshee attack fighters joined the chorus of counterattacking Covenant.

"Boss, we got at least two Wraiths inbound," Jun reported urgently.

Infantry with air support and now armor. It was more than even Noble Team could handle.

"Fall back," Carter ordered, "we're withdrawing from here." A waypoint popped up on the team's HUDs to mark their rally point.

"Come on, we can take them," Emile declared, spoiling for a fight.

"Negative. There's too many of them," Carter countered, "and this location has no strategic value. It's not worth the risk." Switching channels the team leader made his report. "Castle Control this is Noble One. Be advised Covenant have moved in force to our position. Dislodging will take concerted ground and air assets. Falcon One and Two, our LZ is too hot, switching to secondary extraction point I'm marking now."

Doing a fighting withdrawal the Spartans of Noble Team and Natalia moved carefully away from the location the Covenant seemed so intent on holding. The attackers pursued them only a short distance then settled with sending a group of Skirmishers to harass them the rest of the way. It appeared the invaders were content to merely retake the spot.

Reaching their extraction point the sound of inbound Falcons greeted them. The team stayed focused though since the last time they'd let their guard down it had almost cost them their lives.

You saved our bacon," Jorge declared to Natalia, acknowledging the timely warning that had likely saved them.

"Yea, you did," Kat added incredulously, "thanks."

Natalia couldn't help but smile at the acknowledgement though Mike remained silent and sullenly kept himself away from the group.

"Man, Covvies really wanted that spot bad," Emile stated, still covering their withdrawal from the rear. "What the heck's there that's worth it?"

As the Falcons swooped in to pick up the team from their fallback point each of them had the same though- the Covenant were definitely looking for something. Could it be the artifacts Dr. Halsey had seemed so interested in? But what were they?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**0630hrs August 2, 2552, Highland Mountains, Planet Reach**

It wasn't a happy group of Spartans that gathered to debriefed and clean weapons after their unsuccessful encounter with the Covenant the previous day. An attempt from Castle Base had been made to dislodge the attackers but the Covenant had fought doggedly for the area so the humans had eventually allowed it to happen until they could bring greater assets to bear. The reason for them being there was still a mystery though it was rumored that Dr. Catherine Halsey and the ONI group had been interested in Noble Team's video capture of the encounter.

Regardless, Noble didn't like having to withdraw, even if there was no tactical advantage to the area.

"HIGHCOMM concurs with your assessment," Colonel Holland reported over videocomm to Commander Carter. "There's a definite pattern to Covenant activity like the one you encountered. There does seem to be a concentration of activity around areas where relics are located. What that means and the tactical implications are still being assessed by the chain of command. They've decided we need to get more information so you've been retasked into a recon role."

"Recon sir?" Carter asked in surprise.

"Yes son," Holland responded. "I know you don't like it, I can hear it in your voice," the wise handler of Noble Team acknowledged, "but we need to know what the Covvies are up to if we're going to have a chance of beating them here."

"It's just, sir, well, we're better as a strike force and it's sure needed," Carter countered.

"I get that, but this is a higher priority right now," Holland declared, "and so you're being pulled. We need people we can count on to get this right the first time and that means your team Commander."

"All right," Carter understood the implicit order. "Rules of engagement?"

"Avoid contact at all costs. This is a 'sneak-and-peak' op. Go in, gather information, get out. Especially don't let the hingeheads know what you're doing since they seem to be co-ording their actions in these areas. We don't want them to know we're trying to figure out what they're doing."

"That's not the norm for this team, sir."

"True enough," Holland acknowledged, nodding his head in agreement on the screen. "But then not much of this invasion is." The Colonel stopped speaking, as if reflecting for a moment. "Noble Six has a lot of experience with this type of mission, use that skillset and get the job done Noble Lead. I'm counting on you. Noble Actual out."

Commander Carter sighed audibly and looked up at the ceiling of the building acting as their temporary headquarters obviously unhappy with the orders he'd received. "You heard the man and you know the drill. New tasking. All right Six," he acknowledged, "how do we go about this?"

Mike paused for a moment, doing a quick assessment. He'd been given an opportunity to use his skills from the past for the betterment of the team and mission. It was also an opportunity for Natalia to prove her worth as she'd been doing of late. Though he still struggled with his place on Noble Team Mike Nantz was prepared to lead the way.

"Okay," he began, ready to take charge, "we need to break up into smaller sub-units. Jun and Emile, you form one team, Kat and I form another."

"Oh, not you and me?" Emile responded in mock hurt. "We don't play well together Wolf?" the volatile Spartan taunted.

Mike ignored the dig. "Jorge, you and Commander Carter will act as a Quick Response Force. Sorry, but your size is not conducive to this type of op."

"No problem," the Spartan II answered in his distinct accent, "I'm not good at disappearing."

"Good. You'll have Falcon Charlie One on standby in case we get into trouble. Lt. Comm. Misriah will…"

"Be on logistics and comms," Commander Carter cut in, overriding what Mike was going to do, "since she's not suited for this type of field assignment."

Mike hesitated for a moment and looked hard at Noble Team's leader with an irritated expression on his face. Carter in return stared back at him ready for the argument. The Lone Wolf backed down.

"All right, now that we have our roles here are some things to consider." Mike then went on to give some tips and tactics he'd learned over the years of doing this type of mission regularly. Despite their skepticism, especially from Emile, the others were impressed by the Wolf's insights and how quickly he could bring a viable plan for the assignment together.

Commander Carter was not about to let Natalia Misriah in the field in this kind of role. He had no confidence in her ability and felt she would compromise a mission he didn't want. Grudgingly he had to admit she had been fighting well thus far but attributed that to Mike B-312's help and covering for her. He'd also noticed that something seemed to be growing between the two of them and that irritated him as well. No, it was time for Noble Six and the ONI officer to spend some time apart.

Natalia struggled badly with the assignment for this next mission on several levels. First, yet again a lack of confidence in her had been publicly stated which irritated the proud woman resulting in her being shuffled aside. She also felt for Mike who had been obviously overruled, though that was the team leader's prerogative. But she found herself most upset that Mike and Kat would be together for as long as this mission went on. Was it jealousy? She wasn't sure. She'd never been jealous before in her life. Regardless, she didn't like it.

As the team dismissed to prepare for this new assignment Mike stopped Natalia. "Listen, I want you to know that you earned a spot on this mission besides rear echelon." He looked at her awkwardly, avoiding eye contact, as if embarrassed. "I just wanted you to know that."

"Thanks," she responded, caught off guard by Mike's sincerity. "I appreciate that." Then Natalia Misriah heard something come out of her mouth she'd never expected: "How I feel isn't important. What's important is the success of this mission and protecting Reach. Noble's lucky to have you."

Mike was visibly moved by the humble statement. "Well, you've been doing well. Your chance will come, likely sooner than anyone expects. Hang in there."

The two departed for their relative assignments. Mike left confused, Natalia uplifted and suddenly not feeling so bad.

With the mission established the Spartans swung into action and Noble Team disappeared from the grid. They'd been given a series of areas to explore and report on. With Mike planning the operations they went off without a hitch and the QRF of Carter and Jorge hadn't been needed. Though the Covenant was pressing hard in certain areas, in others they were content to hold. Despite the length of time they'd been on Reach the invaders had yet to fully exert themselves. Nothing the Spartans came up with seemed to make any sense as to why this was the case.

Natalia placed herself in the base ops center they were working out of settling in to try to keep herself busy, but there was little to do after the action of the previous week. She tried to rationalize her disappointment. She'd fought hard in their recent engagements, even saving the team, or so Jorge and Mike had said. Yet still she was an outsider, not fully accepted.

But then what could she expect?

She wasn't a Spartan, she wasn't Noble. She was an 'adjunct', an annoying addition who was supposed to be with the team for a milk-run mission and then have her war stories to share back on earth afterwards. Now she was in a real war, fighting for her life and the lives of those she was starting to care about. The idea of 'expendable soldiers' that she'd written reports endorsing in the abstract now made her want to retch. None were expendable, especially those who'd been taken or tricked as children. She knew the need, the odds against humanities survival, she knew they needed these programs but now, living with these people, she'd never be able to think of them the same way again.

Especially Mike.

Sitting in the ops center, listening again to Kat's playful banter and Mike's measured responses just like at the defense of Sword Base the proud woman's heart was tugged anew. The two not only worked well together but fit well together. Were they on their way to becoming a couple? That likely wasn't possible but should it? Would she step aside for a woman who lived as Mike did? She should but she wouldn't.

Natalia began to see Mike as deserving something more, more than what Kat could offer. She had nothing against the Spartan who seemed to delight in making her look bad. Was it jealously? She'd never considered that before. No, she had nothing but the highest respect for Kat-B320. It was just she felt Mike deserved to know there was life outside of war, privation and suffering. Would he even be able to accept it? She thought he would and she could show it to him. Thoughts of MacKenzie and any other man were long from her mid now, a first for the head-strong woman.

That concept kept her in her position, doing her duty instead of seeking to climb a corporate ladder. She'd do what she'd been ordered, she'd serve and he'd notice. At least that's what she prayed would happen.

Kilometers away, Kat and Mike sat in an overwatch position under a punishing summer sun observing a Covenant team once again digging for something. The volatile female Spartan had requested an airstrike even though she knew it would be turned down to at least give the guise of action. Watching the group of Grunts scudding back and forth and satisfied the Jackals who were to be on guard duty were even more bored then she was, Kat decided to liven things up a bit.

"So what's up with you and Lt. Comm. Rich Girl?" Kat asked bluntly.

"What do you mean by that?" Mike retorted, not looking up from his own pair of binoculars.

"You guys seem to have a bit of a thing going," she shot back.

"I'm just helping her, that's all."

"That's all, huh?" Kat questioned.

Mike knew the woman well enough to know she'd raised her eyebrow underneath her Mark V helmet. "Why are you so down on her all the time?" he demanded.

"And why are you cutting her so much slack?" Kat retorted. "You know as well as the rest she doesn't belong here. Probably got daddy to hook her up on some adventure."

"You don't know that. Besides, she can't pick her father and likely can't control what a guy like that will do," Mike answered doggedly. "Everyone deserves a chance to stand on their own merit."

"Oh yea? Did I deserve to be kidnapped as a kid? Did I pick this?" Kat's voice rose despite the modulation of the microphone in her helmet

"Come on Kat, that's not what this is about," Mike countered, not wanting to go there.

"The hell it's not," she had trouble keeping her voice down. "It's about privilege man. The sooner you get that through your idealistic head the better you'll be. The chick's trouble and not worth the effort."

"Listen, I know she doesn't belong here and doesn't fit in. I get that." Mike's temper rose. "But she's here and we're in the middle of all this crap. What would you do? Throw her to the wolves."

"That's an interesting choice of expression Mike, coming from the Lone Wolf."

"None of this is of our choosing Kat," Mike tried to reason. "We can't control much of what happens to us but we can control what we do about it."

"Yea, what about Melanie? How much control did she have when she was sent off on Torpedo?" Kat pressed, mentioning a girl that had been part of their training group and Mike had developed a relationship with.

"Now why would you choose her?" the Lone Wolf shot back, hurt edging into his voice. "This has nothing to do with Natalia."

"Oh, now she's Natalia is she?" the woman mocked. "So you have forgotten Mel?"

Mike suddenly grabbed Kat's good hand and squeezed her so hard the tough Spartan winced. "I have NOT forgotten her. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and what happened. Every day I wish I had been with her and the rest of the team and I was dead with them. Don't you dare use that line on me."

Mike released his iron grip and looked away signaling he didn't want to talk anymore.

Flexing her hand several times to get the circulation going after the crushing hold Kat realized she'd gone too far. "Hey, Mike, listen man…. I'm sorry. I was out of line. Mel was my friend too." She paused, angry at herself and angry at the circumstances around her. Snatching the binoculars out of Mike's hands she snarled, "Damn the Covenant, damn ONI and damn the politicians who put people like us in these positions."

Mike grunted but said nothing. He'd already been struggling enough with his feelings about Natalia. To be reminded of Melanie only made things cloudier. He'd thought coming out of his protective shell was a good thing but now all he wanted to do was be alone and let the Lone Wolf run.

**2130 August 11, 2552 Viery Territory, Planet Reach**

"This is a HIGHCOMM priority mission," Commander Carter reiterated to the team. No one needed to be told that. The fact they'd been flown to the Viery Territory from where they'd been scouting for the past week confirmed that.

"So what's really up boss?" Emile asked, sharpening his Kukri knife. "We gonna stop screwing around and get back in the fight?"

"You afraid someone else is going to win the war for you?" Jorge grunted.

"Naw, I just want to do what I've been trained for rather than act like some ONI spook," the volatile Spartan stated, giving Natalia a dirty look. "I want to know if we're working for her," he gestured to the ONI officer who avoided the glare.

"Nothing has changed Four so stow that crap," Carter ordered. "An area not far from here has gone dark. That means no radar, probes or anything else had been able to penetrate it. Something's happening in there and we need to know what."

"Physical probes, sir?" Jun asked.

"Three teams, including one ODST, have gone in already and none have come out," Noble One reported.

Jorge whistled.

"Yea, so that's why we're here. We've been tasked with penetrating the Dark Zone and figuring out what the heck is going on there. Six, what's the plan."

"All right, sir," Mike stepped forward. "A two man team is going to insert in three hours. That'll be Jun and I. Kat, you'll run comms, the rest will be Quick Reaction support in case we get in too deep or find something interesting. Any questions?"

"What about me?" Natalia asked quietly.

Mike looked right at Commander Carter who made no indication. "You'll be part of the QRF."

"I'll save you a seat," Emile stated, patting his lap.

Natalia didn't care. Mike had included her in the team even if Noble One had said nothing. The idea of no one coming out of the Dark Zone worried her but her confidence in Mike was such that if anyone could pull this mission off it would be him.

With little time the team split to prep for the mission. Mike went to the armory to get the kit he felt he'd need. Engrossed in though he hadn't realized someone had followed him to that part of their base of operations. Turning to leave he was startled to see Natalia standing there with her helmet off, looking at him. Her emerald green eyes seemed to bore right through the visor of his helmet. Despite the red MJOLNIR armor she wore it still showed her figure in a flattering way. It was a distraction he didn't need as he was about to go on mission.

"Anything I can do for you?" Mike asked.

"I…just….I just came to wish you luck," Natalia stammered, her cheeks flushing red deeper than her armor. "Take care of yourself."

"Thanks." Mike was touched by the sentiment and realized that suddenly how Natalia Misriah felt mattered to him. Maybe Kat had been right. "You too, take it easy."

"It won't be hard with you doing all the work for us," Natalia declared playfully, her face lighting up.

"Hey, chin up," Mike returned. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to that guy who's waiting for you on earth and you'll have a hellova story to tell," he awkwardly tried to match her previous statement.

If Mike had punched her in the stomach it wouldn't have hurt any more. As the Spartan turned and walked away Natalia winced at the declaration. MacKenzie? That was another life, another person. That was a path no longer for her. Couldn't Mike see how she felt? Didn't he know? Of course not. It's not like she'd told him and the young man, despite all the war he'd seen, likely wasn't too experienced in these things.

_Not like you Stinger_ the little voice in the back of her mind chided. _You've got lots of experience. _Condemnation flooded in but she worked hard to push it back.

"No, I've changed!" Natalia said to herself a little too loud.

Mike stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" he asked in surprise, almost as if hoping for something. "Did you say something?"

She had her moment. '_TELL HIM'_ a new voice screamed but already the voice of condemnation won out. "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

All right. I'll see you when I get back," Mike stated and walked away.

Maybe all she deserved was MacKenzie. Natalia quickly jammed her helmet on her head so Mike wouldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes if he turned back to look at her.

But he didn't.

Several hours later was Mike was in an environment in which he felt comfortable. He continued to struggle with his place on the team and what it meant to be part of Noble. Acceptance seemed to ebb and flow both ways. They struggled with him, he struggled with them. That was nothing in comparison to his thoughts on Natalia Misriah. It was as if the woman was trying to tell him something but he couldn't figure out what it was. In truth, the beautiful woman scared him to death. She was way out of his league in probably a dozen categories yet involuntarily he kept thinking about her. Was that being disloyal to Mel? Melanie was dead and they'd never truly articulated their feelings for each other. They'd always thought there'd be another opportunity, a better opportunity. Then he'd been assigned to Special Ops and she'd died in Operation Torpedo and they'd never have the chance to tell each other the things each had wanted to.

There'd never been the time.

Would he allow himself to fall into the same thing again? Did he even know how he felt? Should he be embarrassed to have feelings for a woman who could likely buy a dozen men like him? He wanted to scream.

"Elite ahead, take him out quietly," Jun whispered over their comms.

Not scream, kill something.

Mike slipped through the shadows on the unsuspecting Elite patrolling the ridge line. Quietly unsheathing his combat knife he crept up like a wraith behind the tall Sangheili and quickly drove the blade on an angle up the top of the creature's spine and into its brain. The alien warrior gasped in surprise then gurgled before being lowered to the ground dead.

Gripping his SRS99 AM sniper rifle and moving with Jun gave a sense of familiarity to the troubled Spartan. Things in the mission were complicated already but these were ones he could gladly handle. Matters of the heart? They were way out of his comfort zone. Yet they remained; the feelings grew despite his every effort. They'd need to be dealt with.

But not yet.

The pair of Spartans had moved into the dark zone and eliminated several Covenant guard posts but there was something eerily still about the territory that got Mike's sixth sense up in alarm. Yet this was a complication he could deal with, this was the domain of the Lone Wolf. Yes, maybe if he was lucky he'd not come out either and so wouldn't have to deal with the less familiar complications that seemed to be cropping up despite the war he was supposed to be fighting.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Recon Bravo Mission Time +3:35hrs, August 12, 2552 Viery Territory, Planet Reach**

Eliminating several more guard posts and moving deeper into the dark zone Mike felt a sense of calm come over him despite the growing anxiety of the mission. This was nothing new to him, familiar ground. Jun was a consummate professional and talked little which suited Mike just fine. The pair moved well together and melded into the inky black of night. With the string of sentries removed they were able to move more quickly into the area that was showing up as blank on their IFFs.

The calm of the night was shattered by the sound of gunfire, human gunfire interspersed with Covenant.

"What the heck is that?" Mike asked more to himself.

"I don't know but it's definitely human and it's coming from over this ridge. Let's move Six," Jun responded.

The pair picked up their pace as the sounds of battle intensified becoming less concerned about stealth. The trail opened up to an abandoned pumping station. Of greater importance than the nature of the structure it appeared as if several militia troopers were under attack by Covenant forces.

"Noble Two, that's some sort of pump station," Jun reported back to Kat who was coordinating their communications. "Got eyes on civilians, I'm thinking more local militia, they've engaged hostiles."

"Move to assist," Kat ordered. "They may have Intel we need."

"You heard her, Six. Keep those civilians alive," Jun commented, raising his sniper rifle up to his shoulder and in one motion shooting an Elite through the head. "Come on, let's go!"

Charging into the fray the two Spartans were hailed by the beleaguered civilian fighters. Systematically moving into and around the station while the militiamen held their position Mike and Jun worked to eliminate the threat. The Covenant force turned out to be fairly small so they were dealt with in short order.

The humans gathered on an exposed deck of the pumping station around a couple of long metallic cases.

"Little more action than we're used to," a stocky, bearded man commented dryly. "You Spartans are good in a fight."

"What are you doing here?" Jun responded as Mike surveyed the motley crew of militiamen suspiciously. "Whole area's supposed to be evacuated."

"Didn't like leaving it to someone else to protect our home. So we came back, for this," the militiaman indicated to the cases. "We have 'em hidden all over the territory."

The cases electronically opened as if on command revealing various UNSC weapons stuffed within.

"You know this stuff is stolen," Jun commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What? You gonna arrest me?" the colonist shot back, hand tensing on the assault rifle he carried.

"No. Gonna steal it back," Jun retorted.

A distinctive high-pitched hum signaled to the humans the conversation about stolen weapons was moot. Now it was time to fight.

"Another dropship coming in," Jun called out.

"Everyone, defensive position," Mike ordered. "We need to hold them off. You men, hold this area," he ordered the militiamen, "We'll clear the rest."

The Phantom carrying the attacking force flared just out of range of the pumping station and began disgorging its troops. In typical fashion the Grunts led the charge while Jackals looked for targets of opportunity before the Elites exploited any openings. Initially the humans were able to keep the force off their perimeter but then a second and third Phantom showed up reinforcing the attacking group. The tight formation of the humans was broken and the battle became a free-for-all.

There was no more use for a sniper rifle so dropping it Mike fought with an assault rifle. _Covvies must really want to keep us out of this area_ Mike thought to himself as he walked a stream of high velocity rounds into a group of three Grunts. One of the waddling, squawking creature's methane tanks exploded sending a yellow gaseous cloud spewing crazily into the night sky.

All around the air buzzed and was lit up by human and alien ordinance.

A group of Skirmishers joined the fight, their distinctive crow-like head plumage showing their addition. While a number of militiamen went down under the onslaught the remainder tightened into a defensive cordon on the highest level of the pumping station able to keep the Covenant at bay. That left Jun and Mike to move around the periphery.

The Covenant became so thick for Mike that it was impractical to shoot. Instead using the butt end of his assault rifle he systematically moved through the attackers beating a swath through them. A roaring Elite tried to use the confusion to come behind Mike and grapple with him. Grabbing him in a death grip the taller Sangheili began to try to squeeze the life out of Mike. Mike smashed his helmeted head back into the maw of the creature just as his shield drained and the alarm went off. In one smooth motion Mike deftly pulled his combat knife and drove it through the Elite's shielding and into its head. The Sangheili screamed in pain and surprise even while it dropped to the deck of the station dead.

Mike was vulnerable and he knew it. He'd dropped his weapon in the fight with the Elite and two more drove in to avenge their fallen comrade.

At that moment Mike wasn't ready to die. For years he'd been ready, even sought it at times, but always he'd cheated the Grim Reaper. Now, he wanted to live. Was it Natalia? His conversation with Kat days earlier when they were on overwatch came back to him. Maybe he did have feelings for her but who was he kidding? She was ONI and her name was Misriah. He was a disposable soldier. Maybe it would be easier to die.

_Crack Crack_

Two shots from a high powered rifle rang out and both Elites went down within a second of each other with holes in their heads. Mike looked and saw Jun give him a quick wave then carry on. He'd have more time to ponder the question.

Eventually the human forces were able to eliminate the Covenant attack.

"Looks like the idea of a stealth mission is out the window," Jun commented.

"Looks like it," Mike responded, reloading the assault rifle he'd picked up.

"But why are they fighting so hard for this area? There's nothing here but that lake."

"What about the road?" Mike asked the militia leader who had joined them with the remnant of his troopers. "Where does it go?"

"Road leads to a hydro-electric plant, but the gate doesn't work," he answered.

"Alternate route?" Jun asked.

"We use the riverbed to smuggle rations, weapons...," the militiaman answered.

"Basically anything the UNSC considers contraband," Jun cut in.

"Basically," the bearded man from Reach shrugged.

"Then that has to be something," Mike declared, "because something is creating this field and even the Covenant don't fight so hard for nothing."

Jun nodded his head at the logic of the statement then said to the leader of the militia force, "Show us."

With the men from Reach leading the way they ushered Jun and Six the short distance to the riverbed. It wasn't overly big but it was a significant terrain feature. The river had obviously been substantial in the past since it cut deep into the rocky terrain. The depression made for excellent cover.

"There's the riverbed, Six," Jun observed. "Let's see where it goes."

The two Spartans fanned out and took the lead with the remnant of the militia troop falling in behind.

The group moved cautiously since the motion tracker on the Spartan's HUDs wasn't reliable. The air was still, with no sounds to be heard. The night sky seemed darker than usual, likely caused by whatever the Covenant was using to shield this part of the region.

"Where does this riverbed lead?" Jun asked quietly.

"Straight to the hydro plant," the militia leader answered. "We dammed this river up forty-five years ago; plant powers every settlement in the territory. Shame if it all gets wasted."

"Doing what we can," Jun responded.

Mike was impressed by the compassion of the quiet sniper. For his part, the wishes of the locals had not even entered into his mind. It never did. He'd always chalked that up to focus on the mission but of late he'd been considering the compassion he possessed. He cared, but about what he wasn't certain. With his childhood shattered by the traumatic death of his family, then defined by his training as a Spartan he'd not really had the opportunity to develop normal emotional responses. Had that been part of the training? To make them feel nothing? If it had been, it had failed. Mike felt lots.

A Phantom dropship passed overhead, a spotlight sweeping the area as if looking for something, calling Mike back to focus. No time for such musings.

Jun held up his hand to signal a halt. "Hold up. Covvie dropship, take cover."

The Phantom continued its sweep, seemingly oblivious to what lurked below. The presence of the ship seemed to point to the fact something of importance lay ahead. Satisfied they were in the clear again Jun motioned them to continue. Moving carefully and using the shadows to their advantage the humans moved like ghosts further up the river bed until they eventually reached the hydro-electric plant. Rounding a corner of the dried up river the group had a great view of the facility and what lay there.

"What the heck?" Mike declared in surprise as he caught sight of not only a strong Covenant presence but some form of pylon prominent at the plant. The dark blue human building was punctured by a tripodal pylon constructed with three legs, three gunnery platforms, and three curved spines on the top of the structure that were slowly spinning. These spines seemed to be emitting pulses every few seconds as they spun around. Protecting it, the small walkway encircling the whole building had operational plasma cannons set up. Completing the unencouraging picture, a small gravity lift could be seen coming out of the base

"Kat, are you seeing this?" Jun called back to their ops center. "Covenant structure, kind of a big pylon. Heavily fortified."

"That's the source of our dark zone," Kat answered emphatically.

"Ok, consider it gone," Jun responded.

"Negative, stick a remote det charge on it," Kat countered. "Command's planning something big; they say that pylon dies at dawn."

"We're gonna blow it?" the leader of the militia troop asked after Jun finished with Kat.

Mike looked at Jun who shrugged.

"We're going to clear the area, and then I'll plant a remote debt charge," the sniper confirmed. "You want to provide some cover, go right ahead."

Mike took charge of the plan. "I'll the lead the assault on the bridge. You follow. We hit hard and roll them up. No stopping. Keep moving. Jun, you got to clear those plasma cannons or we're hamburger."

"No problem," the sniper declared confidently, checking his ammo count. "I'll follow and then plant the det charges."

While Jun moved into position Mike and the others used the shadows to get closer. A group of Grunts waddled aimlessly across the bridge while a pair of Jackals seemed to be arguing about something.

Mike stepped out and shredded the lead Grunts with a burst from his MA37. The others scattered in surprise. The militiamen used a hail of fire to take down the Jackals energy shield and drop them as well. Moving swiftly across the bridge the plasma cannons covering the approach cycled up to begin to fire but precise shots from Jun took the gunners down in a matter of seconds. Without supporting fire the humans were able to cover the ground quickly and spread throughout the facility systematically eliminating all resistance. It took only a matter of minutes.

Once secure Jun came trotting across the bridge, sniper rifle slung on his back. Without breaking stride he headed straight to the Covenant pylon and opened his satchel to remove a det charge.

"All clear, Six. This is gonna take a minute, keep your eyes peeled," Jun requested as he deftly prepared the high explosives.

The familiar high-pitched whine of Covenant Phantom dropships could be heard but not seen.

"Inbound, we got inbound!" one of the militiamen called out from an observation post.

"Mike, I need more time!" Jun yelled, despite being on the comms. The intensity of the moment had finally seemed to get to the usually unflappable sniper. "Keep them off me!"

"Get on the guns," Mike ordered two militiamen who hopped into the seats of the two operational plasma turrets. "Cover the approach. Rest of you, two man teams. Nothing penetrates this perimeter!"

Almost as Mike was giving the orders a massive incendiary charge exploded on their position incinerating one of the militia teams.

Mike swore at himself. "Hunters!" he screamed, "displace, keep moving!"

Two massive Mgalekgolo's lumbered into the lights of the power station leading the way for a Covenant assault team. This time the Hunter's let blast a beam from their Assault Cannons but fortunately the human defenders had moved out of the way.

Mike scanned the terrain for the best way to approach the heavily armored beasts and his eyes came onto another militia fire team. One of humans began to writhe as a plasma sword came protruding through his chest right after an Elite in a purple and black armor array appeared. Another Elite materialized as well dispatching the other unfortunate defender.

"Spec op Elites inside the perimeter!" Mike called urgently. "Wide field of fire. We need to drop their cloaking device. Hose it down. Turrets, plaster the area. Jun, sit rep."

"Almost done….need a few more minutes."

Mike swore again. At this rate they didn't have a few minutes.

Another blast from the Hunters took down another militiaman but then a new sound joined the battle. The steady _pom pom pom_ of the Shade anti-armor cannons. The first gunner was able to zero in on the Elite Spec Ops team that had materialized and catching them in the open punched through their armor then melted them with bolts of magnetically encased plasma. That brought the Covenant momentum to a halt.

The Hunters directed their fire on the Shade obliterating one but the second turret came on-line and punched through the first Hunter's armor shielding causing the wriggling creatures inside to shatter outward, spilling onto the ground. As its mate went berserk with rage Mike by this time had sprinted over and using the beast's anger stuck the Hunter with a captured plasma grenade. The explosion shortly after that ripped the beast's back open allowing Mike to empty a half-clip into its back.

As the Hunter fell dead a second Elite Spec Ops team materialized on Mike's position. He caught the shimmer right before the Sangheili struck so was able to take only a glancing blow from the Plasma Sword. Still, his armor emptied at the blow and the alarm claxon went off. Knowing he was vulnerable instead of moving back to take a shot he pushed forward grabbing the surprised Elite in a bear hug then with a massive burst of strength wrestled the roaring creature right into its companions sword thrust. The Plasma Sword cut through the Elite's armor and severed its head. Mike then shoved the carcass at the one who'd just killed it, causing the other Elite to stumble. He emptied the rest of the his clip to bring the Spec Op's armor down then moved in to batter the Elite in the face mercilessly with the butt of his assault rifle until it crumpled to the ground dead.

Breathing hard from exertion Mike whirled around in anticipation of attack but found the rest of the assaulting groups support had been taken out by the surviving militiamen and Jun who'd set the charge and gotten back into the action.

"Close call," Jun stated quietly, coming up to Mike.

"Yea, too close," Mike responded, taking his helmet off to wipe sweat from his brow despite the climate control in his armor.

The remainder of the militiamen joined them after sweeping the area clean of any further Covenant. Though their numbers had been thinned out considerably their resolve had only seemed to increase.

"Good job guys," Mike acknowledged. "Thanks for the assist."

"You may be Spartans," the leader of the group stated, "but this is our home and we'll be damned if we give it to these bastards without a fight."

Mike nodded in acknowledgement at the passionate declaration. Nothing more needed to be said.

"We need to keep moving," Jun reminded Mike and the others. Switching channels on his comm he reported, "Recon Bravo to Noble Two, charge placed."

"Somewhere inconspicuous, I hope," Kat responded dryly, not knowing what they'd just gone through.

"Stuck it inside the pylon's power supply," Jun reported.

"Alright. Keep pushing into the dark zone. Command wants to know what the Covenant is hiding," Kat responded.

"There's a gate to the southeast of the power plant," Jun reported after Mike gestured to the best path to keep moving.

Kat paused for a moment as if looking something up. "Copy. Uploading security codes to you now."

"Okay, got 'em. Unlocking the gate," Jun received the uplink then punched a keypad. The large metal door began to slowly open with a rumble as the rest of the humans covered it.

"Recon Bravo, you're heading into the dark zone now," Kat reported.

"What the heck did she think this was?" Jun said incredulously to Mike off-line then responded, "Understood."

The Spartans and remaining militiamen headed through the gate almost immediately running into more Covenant troops. Now able to move rather than hold a position the humans were able to neutralize the opposition in fairly short order though it did become a bit of a running fight. Not wanting to get bogged down they kept moving further into the mysterious dark zone.

Beyond the growing number of organized ground troops they were encountering there also seemed to be an increase in air traffic overhead. Both of the Spartans got the sense they were getting closer to whatever it was they sought.

Then they saw it.

A Covenant Corvette was holding position on the other side of the rocky wall the humans had advanced towards. The capital ship signaled something of significance was happening in the dark zone and the pylon they'd encountered earlier in the evening was covering it.

"Looks like we found what we're looking for," Mike commented. "Let's call it in."

Jun nodded his head in agreement then opened up his comms. "Noble Two, we have eyes on at least one Covenant ship."

"Solid copy. Don't stop now," Kat responded.

Jun shook his head at the instruction. "Is that woman ever satisfied?"

Mike chuckled and patted the sniper on the back. For the first time since he'd been assigned to Noble Team he felt a connection and affinity with the group. "Come on. Let's wrap this up, we're close," Mike encouraged.

Noble Six was correct in his assessment. Again working together like a finely-tuned machine the Spartans and militia cleared the area of the remaining hostiles affording them the opportunity to do some uninterrupted recon and assess what was around them. There still wasn't anything of significance they'd found beyond the Corvette but the terrain map Mike pulled up on his HUD showed a valley of some form below the vista a bit further along from where they were currently holding up. No further Covenant seemed to be approaching for the time being.

"Stay here and cover the approach," Mike ordered the militiamen. "We're going to going to see if anything's below."

Fanning out, the citizens of Reach formed a defensive zone while Jun and Mike moved up the trail. Before the summit they began to crawl in order to not show a silhouette when they reached the crest. Moving slowly in the shadows the two Spartans arrived at the top.

The sight below took their breath away

A massive Covenant landing zone filled the area ahead of them into the distance. Armor, troop concentrations, anti-aircraft batteries and numerous ships crowded the valley.

"Jackpot," Jun stated without any note of triumph.

"Transmitting visual," Mike commented, blood chilled by the implications of what they were witnessing.

"You seeing this, Kat?" Jun asked.

"Confirmed," Kat responded over the comms. "Receiving Noble Three and Noble Six's live visual of a Covenant strike force."

"That's no strike force, it's an invading army," Jun declared emphatically. "If we're gonna smother this thing, we need to go in hard and fast."

"Agreed. All recon teams disengage and fall back. Sun will be up in a few hours...and it's going to be a very busy day," Kat declared grimly.

Mike and Jun crawled back to where the militiamen were waiting.

"What did you find?" the bearded leader of the group asked.

"Nothing good," Jun stated, taking his helmet off and rolling his head around to relieve the built up tension.

The militiamen noted the action and began to fidget.

"You've got to clear this area," Mike stated emphatically. "Covenant have an invasion force in the valley. When they roll out of here they'll smash everything in their path."

"Our homes….our families…," one man choked out.

"Get them out," Mike cut him off. "Take the weapons and munitions you've got stashed at the pumping station but get out of this territory, all hell is about to be unleashed."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**August 12, 2552 08:00 Hours, Szurdok Ridge, Viery Territory, Planet Reach**

The large dust cloud could be seen from a distance even before the roar of engines straining towards their objective overpowered the clear morning. There was no stealth in this; the approaching convoy could be seen from kilometers away. Scorpion Main Battle Tanks, Warthogs and Mongoose All-Terrain Vehicles charged towards the Covenant staging area Mike and Jun had discovered the previous evening. The concerted response of the defenders of Reach to the invasion finally seemed to be happening.

Flying overhead, Commander Carter had to admit it was an impressive sight. Despite his natural cynicism after years of hard fighting he allowed himself the thrill of the moment as he watched the disciplined formation below charging towards the waiting Covenant. It took him back to his days as a boy, before he became a Spartan, before he had the weight of command placed on his shoulders as a teenager and he savored the moment. The thrilling sight reminded him of the cavalry charges he'd heard about and seen in pictures from hundreds of years ago when men on horseback advanced to combat in this fashion.

The reflective Spartan thought that while technology had changed the problems mankind faced hadn't. There'd been wars and rumor of wars back then just as there was now. For all of their technological advancement, for their ability to colonize planets billions of light years from earth, they still hadn't figured out how to live in peace together. Before the Covenant was the human insurrection that would likely boil over again if they defeated the alien invaders.

No, little had changed since men had beaten each other to death with stone clubs for water holes. It seemed to be an ingrained nature they'd never overcome on their own. Wars of conquest had been going on from the beginning of time despite every attempt at understanding, education and tolerance whether it was a war for the playground equipment in the school yard, for a worthless boyfriend among teenage girls or nations fighting each other over ideology.

Carter shook his head and couldn't help but smile. He'd never considered himself a philosopher but then perhaps he'd never had the time. Seeing the rapidly approaching ridge line to their front he knew his time for this type of luxury was up. The Covenant had not simply glassed Reach and moved on. They wanted to conquer it and hold it. That allowed the human defenders the chance to fight for it.

And fight they were going to.

Opening up the team communications channel the leader of Noble Team said, "Okay Auntie Dot, give us a sit-rep."

The pleasant voice of the team's intelligence support and liaison AI responded, "It appears that Noble Team's discovery last night was not an anomaly. Large Covenant deployments have occurred undetected, and we are now under attack across the Viery territory, including orbital defenses. As per the Winter Contingency, we are countering on every front. Noble's reconnaissance has also identified sophisticated Covenant army hiding canopies, and has been pinpointed what's believed to be a landing zone for additional Covenant forces, the origin of which is yet to be determined."

Listening to the report the leader of Noble Team looked down from his vantage point in the Falcon above watching Kat driving one of the lead Warthogs below with Mike riding shotgun. Jun, Emile and Jorge travelled together in another Hog to their right while Natalia rode shotgun in one to the left. Noble Team was back in the fight and this time were moving in force. It was an impressive task force HIGHCOMM had put together to unseat the Covenant from the area. The invaders seemed to want to conquer this region so this was one where the humans felt they could make a stand and fight back. In order to do that though they needed to not only take out the Covenant forces but more importantly where they were coming in.

Watching the Warthogs and other vehicles charging towards the Covenant position Commander Carter couldn't help but think of a poem from ancient times called 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. He hoped the outcome would be different. Opening the team channel the leader of Noble Team declared, "That landing zone has been tagged by UNSC command as a Priority One target."

But first the dark zone shrouding the area needed to be removed for a concerted attack from the ground and above to be successful. That would be the first order of business then the UNSC forces would attack the landing area en masse. That meant the Covenant pylon generating it needed to be taken out.

"Det-charge link is loud and clear!" Jun reported, checking to ensure he was able to pick up the signal from the ordinance he'd planted the previous evening.

"Copy that," Kat acknowledged looking over to Mike and giving him a thumbs up sign as she prepared to blow the structure that was creating the dark zone. "Acquiring signal lock on the pylon. Detonating in three, two, one."

To their right and on the ridge line bracketing the plain the UNSC force was charging along an orange ball exploded into the morning sky. The pylon crumpled in response and all along the line Noble Team's and every other sensor array came alive with red dots as the dark zone ceased.

If that was good news no one was cheering.

As if on signal waves of Covenant Banshee fighters came swooping down on the convoy opening fire in concert with a salvo of plasma rounds coming in from Wraiths lobbing them in from the distance. It appeared the Covenant were not impressed by the aligned human firepower and intended on holding the landing zone. M41 Vulcan LAAG gunners on the Warthogs retaliated, opening fire on the swooping Banshees.

The Covenant had the area zeroed for their Wraiths as more mortar rounds screamed in, several finding their marks. Warthogs and Mongooses began to fly through the air from direct hits creating havoc in the movement discipline of the column. Vehicles began to juke wildly about to get out of the arc of incoming fire while still trying to avoid the Banshees diving hungrily down from the sky looking for victims.

The avenues of advance broken, drivers moved on instinct. Two Warthogs turned into each other, crashing, while a Mongoose was crushed when it got in the way of a charging Scorpion Main Battle Tank. The UNSC air cover of Pelicans and Falcons did their best to provide support from above but were no match for the nimble Banshees who shot down two Falcons in the process.

Oblivious to all this, Kat dodged mortar rounds left and right, whooping like a madwoman from excitement and adrenaline. Seeing their objective the female Spartan turned towards a bridge which was the key structure in crossing a deep chasm separating the plain. The UNSC needed to take and hold the bridge for the main force to cross and retake the Covenant landing field. Kat and Mike were now in the lead echelon, engine roaring at full throttle trying to make it to the bridge. Only meters away as Mike watched the lead group of vehicles begin to cross over he looked up and saw a plasma mortar round reach the top of its arc and begin to fall towards the center of the bridge. It seems they had that zeroed too.

"Incoming!" Mike yelled too late for Kat to swerve from the course.

The plasma splash hit perfectly in the center of the bridge. With a dull _thud_ the round exploded dropping the center of the structure down to the bottom of the chasm.

"Might want to hold onto something!" Kat grunted as she floored the accelerator to try to jump the gap.

The Warthog took off sailing through the air but the gap of the now-destroyed bridge was too wide so the heavy vehicle came down nose first. Hitting hard it bounced wildly before turning on its side spilling the passengers out onto the rocky terrain. While Kat and Mike's MJOLINIR armor absorbed much of the shock the Army trooper manning the LAAG on the rear hit hard enough to snap his neck.

Despite the armor, Mike hit the ground head-first. Even though his Mk.V[B] helmet absorbed much of the blow the Spartan was still knocked momentarily senseless. Coming too he found himself lying face down.

"Six! Can you hear me?" Kat called out urgently racing over to his side. "Six, you alright?" Seeing Mike begin to slowly move her concern turned to action. "I could use some help!"

Covenant infantry began swarming over a rise to the bridge approach while a Spirit dropship inserted more troops. A fresh wave of Banshees screamed overhead strafing the area. Seeing the threat Kat moved to an overturned Warthog and began to return fire.

"On my way," Mike responded.

Spotting a M41 Rocket Launcher that had fallen out of a broken weapon case on the ground the Spartan grabbed it and prepared to follow Noble Two into the fray when his eyes caught another Warthog trying to jump the gap.

At the last moment the driver panicked and tried to pull back rather than accelerate over the gap. It failed, instead slamming into the side of the destroyed bridge sending its screaming crew into the abyss. Mike turned but realized the passenger in the ill-fated Hog had been catapulted out of the seat and sent flying through the air landing with a sickening thud on the remnant of the bridge.

The red MJOLINIR armor could only be one person: Natalia.

The woman lay motionless on the ground beside an overturned Warthog whose driver's headless body hung suspended in the seat. Caught off guard and still foggy from his own collision something snapped in Mike's mind. The brooding Spartan was taken to another place at another time. Sprinting towards Natalia, instead of being on Reach he was in the middle of Operation Torpedo though he'd never been there.

"Melanie! Mel!" Mike screamed, "Wake up," seeing the woman from his past whose face still tormented him. "Don't die Melanie, please!"

Despite the din of battle all was silent for him as he dropped down to the ground beside the limp form.

Ears ringing from the force of the collision, Natalia groaned and her eyes fluttered. Her eyes needed to adjust as everything seemed fuzzy. Before she could focus she knew Mike was kneeling over her. The woman had no fear of death if this was what was happening. Something inside though said it wasn't her time, she had more to live, and now more to live for. Despite the pain from being thrown from the Warthog should couldn't help but smile since Mike had come to her in the middle of the critical battle.

Then her head cleared and she heard Mike calling out the name of another woman.

"Who…who's Melanie?" Natalia asked weakly.

"What?" Mike snapped out of his fog. "What did you say?" he responded, now back in real-time.

"Nothing," Melanie answered, knowing this wasn't the time. "Am I going to die?" Her emotions were churning at that moment and perhaps death would be a blessing. She was happy that he'd come to her in the midst of the fight but sad that it appeared as if he was coming for another and not her.

Mike pulled up the reading of the woman's vitals on his HUD and did a quick scan. "No, you look good." He sounded relieved which counted for something. "You'll likely have a nasty headache but your suit absorbed most of the crash. Come on," he held out a hand, "we need to get back into the fight."

We. That counted for something.

Charging up the rise Natalia travelled in Mike's wake. The Spartan fired and moved, cutting a path through the swarming Covenant towards where Kat was pinned down.

As Mike moved towards his stalled friend Natalia's comment to him as she came out of unconsciousness weighed heavy: _Who's Melanie?..._ Had he really called her that? Everything had happened so quickly and the woman had been lying on the ground motionless. Maybe he had. Was he starting to see the two women on the same level? Was he starting to care? All he did know right now was the sudden rush of fear that overcame him when he saw the prostrate woman. It wasn't a fear as in panic; it was a fear as in loss.

There was no time for deep, philosophical thought.

Mike saw two Banshees push up high into the sky then loop 180 degrees to drop straight down towards the ground, vapor trails forming a ribbon behind them. They were dropping down on Kat's position. Noble Two couldn't move. Fuel rod rounds were slamming in to the woman's left and a concentration of Elites held in her check to the right. With the Banshees coming in overhead she was about to be finished.

"Kat you've got to displace!" Mike yelled over the comms. "You've got two inbound bandits coming down overhead."

Kat looked up and swore at the sight then declared, "I can't move Six. Bastards got me pinned down."

Mike hadn't paused in the interim, deftly flipping the jackhammer rocket launcher he carried he began to prep to use it. At the same time he ordered, "Kat, make your way to the right. I'll clear the way. Natalia, break right too, support Kat. Both of you move to the rocky area next to the abutment. I'll meet you there."

Natalia moved out of Mike's wake instantly, opening fire on a pair of Elites preparing to attack, disrupting their attempt to intercept Kat as she stepped out of cover. Continuing to move forward she walked fire from her assault rifle over to support Kat as she engaged those who tried to intercept her. Seconds after Noble Two had moved away from the cover of the overturned Warthog the Banshees leveled it with fire from their twin plasma cannons. If Kat had been there she would have been incinerated.

The two women worked in concert, moving seamlessly, pushing back the Covenant array up and beyond the peak of the hill they'd been charging over.

"Kat, Six, what's your status?" Commander Carter interrupted from his perch overhead, seeking to get a sense of what was going on since the battle had now broken into a series of running skirmishes.

"Pylons are down," Kat reported, "we're pushing up the hill."

"Roger that. Take the hill and consolidate," Carter ordered. "We're getting too strung out so we need to reform before we proceed."

Noble One saw a green acknowledgement light wink in his HUD letting him know Kat had received the order. Satisfied that part of the attack was fine he concentrated on the rest of the team. Jorge was supporting an engineer company with covering fire from his HMG who were seeking to place bridging equipment in place to cross the chasm leading to the valley and bring the rest of their forces to bear. Emile was moving among the engineers protecting them from swarming Grunts and Jackals seeking to disrupt the activities. Jun had found a place of cover on a rocky rise. Tucking himself into the shadows he began to seek targets of opportunity. Of particular interest were a group of Elite Zealots exhorting on the Covenant defenders in the area. Patiently waiting for good opportunities despite the chaos around him, the efficient sniper systematically eliminated four of the dangerous foes with precise head shots.

Despite the efforts of Noble team the attempt to bridge the abyss was at a standstill. Plasma mortar rounds began to fall among the engineers, searing a team and their equipment.

"Noble Lead, we got a Wraith somewhere frying this place up," Jun called into the comms from his perch. "Need some air support now or we're not going to get across this gap."

"Roger that," Commander Carter acknowledged, "Delta 3-13," he called over to a circling Pelican, "seek and eliminate hostile armor elements blocking our bridging efforts. This is priority one."

The Pelican roared in from the sky and quickly found the distinctive Wraith mortar tank tucked behind a low rise not far from the destroyed bridge. The Covenant had foolishly not supported their mobile artillery platform with any anti-air assets so the gunners could only watch in horror as the winged UNSC avenger slammed the tank with high explosive missiles from its Anvil-II air-to-surface pods.

The artillery threat had been eliminated but the UNSC had to get the bridging equipment in place to replace the crossings the Covenant had wisely destroyed at the beginning of the attack or the human's assault would stall before it really had the chance to begin.

Mike was too busy to respond and didn't have time to think of what the rest of Noble team was up to. The Spartan found out the fuel rod rounds turned out to be from a Shade turret. One roared in, knocking him flying as it came in too close. His shield drained to half level but the Spartan rolled and in one motion was back on his feet starting to zigzag so the tracking turret couldn't zero on him. Finding a small cluster of rocks he dove behind them as another blast from the turret sought to incinerate him. Adjusting the jackhammer, Mike popped up with his eye in the targeting sight as he brought it up to his shoulder. In one smooth motion he squeezed the trigger. He felt the weapon buck as the 102mm high explosive round released from the launcher with a _whoosh. _A millisecond later the round slammed into the turret turning it into a ball of flames. Mike was on his feet and sprinting up the slope, supporting Kat and Natalia's attempt to find a new place of cover.

A plasma round splashed beside the spot Mike had just moved from, turning the ground into a charred mess. One of the two Banshees that had destroyed the Warthog Kat had hid behind had turned on him as its next target. The winged fighter swooped up and right, seeking to reset for another attack run. Mike took the opportunity to bring the rocket launcher to bear on the dangerous fighter. Ignoring several Needler rounds impacting on his armor he allowed the targeting system of the smart-linked sight to track the looping Banshee until he heard the satisfying tone of a successful lock. Pulling the trigger he began to get back into the fight knowing the aerial threat was about to be eliminated.

He was correct.

A few seconds later he heard the sound of an explosion overhead and knew the Banshee was gone. That threat eliminated Mike began to work his way to the right to link up with Kat and Natalia. The pair had linked up and pushed up to the summit of the hill but were tied down by another Shade turret.

Kat swore as again a Fuel Rod round slammed into the rock protrusion the two women were holding cover behind. Bits of rock chipped from the solid surface pinged against their armor, more of an irritant than a threat. So intent was the aggressive Spartan to push forward that she missed the Elite emerging on her flank. Too late she saw the Sangheili level his plasma rifle and open fire. The plasma rounds were dead on, draining her shield. Natalia though had caught the threat and had already lobbed a fragmentation grenade at the distracted Covenant warrior. It impacted at the Elite's feet just as it was ready to finish Kat off. Natalia stayed focused and followed up the grenade which had taken down the Elite's shield with a stream of fire from her assault rifle punching through the blue armor and ripping open its chest.

"Thanks," Kat grunted with a note of surprise that the ONI officer she had consistently chided had helped her out.

"No problem," Natalia nodded expertly slapping a fresh mag into her MA37.

Any conversation was cut short by a wave of Grunts who came screaming over the top in an attempt to overwhelm them. Two suicide Grunts carrying primed plasma grenades led the way warbling crazily. Kat drilled the first one and Natalia the second. Their explosive charges went off prematurely shredding the group surrounding the pair. That allowed the two members of Noble team to bring more fire to bear and slow the charge. An added chorus of human fire was added to the symphony as Mike came charging in to join the stalled pair.

"Good to see you Six," Kat commented.

Natalia nodded her head vigorously in agreement but didn't say anything, the adrenaline of the moment causing her not to trust what she'd say or do.

"Sitrep?" Mike asked, getting down to business.

"Bloody Shade's got us pinned down here," Kat declared. "We can't take the summit with it there."

Mike checked the rocket launcher he carried since that was the natural solution to the dangerous anti-infantry gun that commanded the summit but the weapon was empty. Throwing it aside he made a quick sweep of the area to get an assessment. Other than a few Jackals sniping away there seemed to be a lull in infantry action giving them an opportunity.

"Okay, I'll move up and right and draw the turret's fire," Mike began, "you two move back and left behind that big rock to flank the gun then take it out."

"That's going to leave you pretty exposed while we do it," Kat countered.

"I'll be fine. My armor can handle it," Mike countered.

"Man, that's a Fuel Rod up there," the aggressive female Spartan declared, showing concern for Mike. "One hit will take your shields down. You can't let there be a second or you're done."

Natalia gulped audibly at the declaration she hadn't thought of. She reached out to grab Mike's arm but stopped herself halfway looking instead like a school child trying to raise her hand to ask a question.

Mike caught the gesture. "What's up?" he asked, missing the intent.

"Nothing," Natalia mumbled in embarrassment .Then, instead of moving her concern overwhelmed her. "Just be careful, okay?"

Rather than chide her for the unnecessary comment in the middle of a combat situation he replied quietly, "I will," vigorously nodding his head. "Okay, let's move."

Mike sprinted forward towards the exposed summit, drawing fire immediately but he dodged crazily around.

The two women began to move into their position but Kat grabbed Natalia's arm first. "You like him, don't you?" Then, seeming to not want to hear a reply pulled her with her and added, "Come on!"

Mike's prediction was correct. The sight of the charging Spartan transfixed the gunner on the Shade who focused on taking down the armored super soldier. Kat and Natalia dropped several Jackals along the way but didn't slow their pace. As they moved closer to engage the Covenant turret Natalia couldn't help but admire Mike anew as he bobbed and weaved around, fearlessly exposing himself to the enemy fire to allow them a shot. It was yet another unrecorded act of bravery the galaxy would never know about, yet another example of a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.

The quick woman's mind could process the needs of the battle and ponder this at the same time. She'd been so selfish, so ambition, so unaware of what these soldiers were doing for mankind. Deemed expendable, 'acceptable casualties', and on and on by ONI command and others. Yet charging to attack with Kat and watching Mike risk himself so the stalled attack could carry on made her ashamed to be part of such a group. Yes, she liked him, she thought to herself silently in response to Kat's question, she likely even was falling in love with him, but this was a different feeling. This was an admiration for the nobility of these Spartans and what they were willing to go through for the good of their species. Then it struck her:

Noble team.

An ironic and appropriate name. They were noble, even Emile in his own way. Right there, Natalia Misriah vowed if she ever got off this rock she'd do whatever she could to advocate for these misunderstood men and women and ensure they received better treatment then they had before. That gave her yet another reason to live.

Natalia thought all these things while simultaneously finding the opening in a Jackal's shield to drop the pesky creature with a burst of automatic rifle fire.

Kat had switched to her M6 Magnum pistol in order to have a more precise shot on the Shade gunner as they got within range. The Grunt manning it finally saw Mike was a ruse and desperately attempted to traverse the gun towards the real threat.

It was too late.

In quick succession Kat popped off three rounds all which found its mark and the Shade went silent.

Without the turret anchoring their defensive line the Covenant forces holding the top of the ridge crumbled. The force of the two Spartans supported by Natalia in addition to a contingency of UNSC troops who had rallied pushed them off the position. Retreating in disarray the Covenant ceded the key area allowing the humans to gain a foothold. A bonus of the turrets being taken out was that Pelicans could swoop in and drop several Warthogs to provide added firepower. With all of this a force held the ridge while another moved back to eliminate any remaining enemy seeking to block the attempt to cross the deep chasm.

While this was going on the UNSC Army engineers had brought up the bridging equipment. Now not being harassed by Covenant fire they were able to lay not just one bridge to cross the abyss but two. With UNSC forces on the other side covering the exit and the approach fully secure the flow of equipment and men could resume. First across was a squadron of Scorpion main battle tanks then a long line of troop transport. The assault on the Szurdok Ridge was back in business.


End file.
